Beni Baningime and Calem Nieuwenhof hand Hearts boost amid Rangers preparations

Hearts were handed a William Hill Premiership title boost as Beni Baningime and Calem Nieuwenhof moved closer to a return from injury ahead of the visit of Rangers on Sunday.

Baningime, the 27-year-old Jambos midfielder, has been out for six games with a hamstring injury while Nieuwenhof, the 24-year-old Australian midfielder, has been missing since a 4-0 cup win over Dumbarton on July 23.

Derek McInnes’ side are six points ahead of Celtic, who play Dundee United at Tannadice on Wednesday night in the first of two games in hand, and nine clear of Rangers, who have played one game fewer ahead of their trip to Edinburgh.

The Gorgie boss said: “Beni Baningime and Calem Nieuwenhof are both close to being available for the weekend.

“We were hoping to try and get Beni on the training pitch on Friday.

“Calem did a wee bit today and if there’s no reaction, maybe do a bit more tomorrow and then see where he’s at as well.

“But great to have both boys kind of there or thereabouts. And no other issues from that.

“(Eduardo) Ageu is due back from Portugal on Friday after being out there for three weeks (recovering from a hamstring injury).

“And young Finlay Pollock’s been on the grass running as well, so trying to make a wee bit of headway with that (hamstring).

“We have got a wee bit of a bug going on at a minute, with one or two. It was more the younger lads last week and just like everybody, the general public, everybody’s feeling a wee bit under the weather. But none would be a concern for the game as it stands.”

Meanwhile, McInnes is hoping to have winger Islam Chesnokov ready for the home game against Livingston on January 3.

The Gorgie club agreed a deal with FC Tobol earlier this year for the 26-year-old Kazakhstan international.

McInnes said: “I was told yesterday that he is due in just after Christmas and the intention is to bed him in for training and hopefully the paperwork goes accordingly, and we can get him available for Livingston.

“There’s no guarantees for that because we don’t control of that.

“But we’re trying to tick all the boxes and jump through all the right hoops to get that to be the stage, and hopefully he will be available for Livingston.”