JAMES TAVERNIER is confident that Rangers can handle the heat this term and won’t lose their heads when tempers flare in the Premiership.

The Light Blues host Hearts this afternoon aiming to bounce back from their defeat at home to Hibernian last weekend and get back on track in the top flight.

Midfielder Ryan Jack will be available for Pedro Caixinha’s side after the Scottish FA overturned the red card he was shown by referee John Beaton.

It was a controversial and headline-grabbing affair at Ibrox as Beaton also issued six yellow cards to the Gers and three to Hibs.

And Tavernier reckons it will be another competitive Premiership clash when Jon Daly’s side make the trip to Glasgow.

He said: “We expect certain teams to come at us aggressively. Obviously, we knew this game was going to be aggressive because of what happened the last time we met in the cup final and everything that went on.

“We knew it was going to be a tasty game. It was just one of those ones when you can get caught up in the madness. You have to be switched on, level headed and know when to control the situation.

“When I got fouled I lost my head a little bit. It is just one of those games we have got to learn from.

“We have a good group of lads and we have just got to appreciate that teams are going to try and unsettle us. We have just got to keep level headed.

“Yeah, definitely [we have the temperament to cope with that]. You only get that from mistakes and it was obviously a mistake that happened at the weekend.

“Our tempers went higher than they should have. We should have controlled them a little bit better.

“But we will learn from that. We have got a good group of lads and if we stick together we’ll learn from that.”

While Rangers went down 3-2 to Neil Lennon’s side last time out, Hearts recorded their first win on Daly’s watch as they emerged victorious against Kilmarnock.

Striker Kyle Lafferty will make his return to Ibrox this afternoon and Tavernier knows the Gers will have to be up for the fight if they are to take all three points.

He said: “We had that last season. Every team tried to do the same.

“We always expected them to try and ruffle us up and make it really hard for us. We don’t expect anything less than that.

“It will be a tough game against Hearts. They will try the rough game.

“They have got Lafferty up front, a big, tall target man, so they have got different ways they can get up the pitch.

“But we’ve got Bruno at the back and we have got really good progressive players who can deal with those situations. It should be a good game.”

The dismissal of Jack cost Rangers dear last weekend but there were plenty of other points for boss Caixinha to consider amidst the red card fall-out.

The Light Blues failed to capitalise on Alfredo Morelos’ early goal and needed a late header from Tavernier to give them faint hope in the closing stages.

Rangers had chances to put the game to bed before Hibs snatched the momentum and Tavernier knows they need to make the most of their time on top.

He said: “That is something we really lacked last season. We got in good positions at the start of games and even throughout the games and we weren’t clinical and ruthless about putting the ball in the back of the net.

“We have started off games well and are scoring early, but it is that ruthlessness that we need. We need to be more clinical and put two and three away really early doors.

“When we get the chance we have to finish it because you can get punished at this level if you don’t. It is different.

“You have to be ruthless in every moment and with every chance that we do get in the opposition’s final third.”