Rangers midfielder Nicolas Raskin has laid it all on the line ahead of Monday's massive showdown with Hearts, admitting it's "do or die" for the Gers' title ambitions. The Belgian international knows the pressure is mounting at Ibrox, and he's not shying away from the reality that questions about the squad's mentality will linger until they bring silverware back to Glasgow.

The stakes couldn't be higher. When Danny Rohl took the reins back in October, Rangers found themselves staring at a daunting 13-point gap to league leaders Hearts. What followed was a remarkable surge that saw them claw back to within a single point before last weekend's gut-wrenching defeat to Motherwell derailed their momentum.

Now sitting four points off the summit with just four matches remaining, Monday's trip to Tynecastle represents a pivotal moment in the season. A win would shrink that gap back to a single point, keeping the dream alive. Anything less, and the title race could effectively be over.

"It's not nice, especially when we've worked so hard to come back to that position," Raskin admitted, the frustration evident in his voice. "That's the thing that is even more frustrating for us. But like I say, we can't go back to that [Motherwell] game, it's done. So now we need to focus on Hearts."

The midfielder didn't mince words about what's at stake. "We know it's a kind of do or die game. It's either we win and we are in it or we lose and it's going to be very tough. So we all know, it's very clear for everyone. We have to win over there if we want our chances to keep increasing."

For Hearts, this is a shot at history—their first league title since 1960. For Rangers, it's about reclaiming their place at the top after last winning the Scottish Premiership in 2020-21, a period that's seen Celtic dominate the domestic landscape.

Raskin understands the narrative surrounding his team all too well. "Like you say, until we win the big thing I think that's going to always be there," he said of the mentality questions. "But I don't think we can talk about mentality when a team comes back from 13 points behind to a position where you can still win the title."

Yet the bottom line remains simple for the Rangers man. "If we don't believe in ourselves then no-one else is going to believe in us. So first of all we need to believe we can do it. We know we can do it. We've shown it during the season. It's just now we have to put the last effort into the last four games and give some extra to go and get the win."

For fans heading to Tynecastle or watching from home, this is the kind of high-stakes drama that defines Scottish football. And for Raskin and his teammates, it's time to prove that this Rangers side has the mentality to match their talent.