Mikoliunas unabashed as he faces hostile reception

Seven days after Scotland embarked on the most glorious week in their international history – with the 3-1 win over Lithuania that preceded Wednesday's 1-0 against France in Paris – today's lunchtime fixture in the SPL throws up Scotland versus Lithuania, Mark II. Or to be precise, Rangers – and a core contingent of the Scottish national side – will travel to Heart of Midlothian, who are owned by a Lithuanian and employ six players who were in Lithuania's squad last Saturday.

Rangers are flying high with five wins from five. Hearts are ailing, although their first win of the season a fortnight ago dragged them up to ninth in the 12-horse race.

Hearts face a selection dilemma over one Lithuanian, Saulius Mikoliunas, whose outrageous dive earned Lithuania a penalty to level at 1-1. Given Scotland's eventual win, a nation's fans might reasonably have been prepared to let bygones be bygones. But then on Thursday, following a review of video evidence, Uefa charged Mikoliunas with misconduct over the dive. That has effectively formalised his image as a cheat, and will arguably increase the opprobrium heaped upon him.

Uefa will hear his case next Wednesday and could ban him for two international games if he is found guilty of "acting with the obvious intent to cause any match official to make an incorrect decision or supporting his error of judgement and thereby causing him to make an incorrect decision".

Mikoliunas, a 23-year-old winger, said after his dive: "If Hearts fans want me to apologise I will, but not to Scotland fans." He is expected to receive a hostile reception when he next plays for Hearts, and with a niggling hamstring also available as a get-out today, he might not return until next week's less highly charged game at Inverness.

Rangers have no new injury concerns, but manager Walter Smith might chose to rest some of the Scotland players who were away this week – one or more from captain Barry Ferguson, Alan Hutton, David Weir, Lee McCulloch and Kris Boyd – following international duty and ahead of Wednesday's Champions' League game against Stuttgart.

Two otherRangers men likely to start will be theformer Hibernian pair, Kevin Thomson and Steven Whittaker. "No doubt Whitty and me will come in for stick at Tynecastle," Thomson said. "As a Hibs player and a boyhood fan, it's special to win there. It's like a Rangers fan going to Parkhead and winning."

Celtic, in second place this morning, host Inverness with a doubt over striker Maciej Zurawski, who has a virus. Steven Pressley will be out for two months follow back surgery.