Derek McInnes has been pointing the finger at Celtic again in the press.
It was a frustrating weekend for the Hearts boss as his side were beaten by relegation-battling Kilmarnock, losing ground in the title race.
They remain at the top of the Scottish Premiership, but Celtic have moved within two points with a 3-1 win over Motherwell earlier on the same day.
Speaking ahead of facing Dundee this weekend, McInnes was keen to keep the underdog narrative going.
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Derek McInnes on Celtic’s advantages over Hearts
The Tynecastle boss said: “I think when you look at the teams round about us, out the last five games, we’ve won three out of five, I think Celtic have won three, Motherwell have won three, I think Rangers are two out of five.
“So nobody is really catching fire and winning the games. I think it shows you the difficulty for so many teams.
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“Because you’re playing teams, like we played Kilmarnock, who are fighting for their lives. And it showed in their performance.
I know that a lot can be made of our performance, but you’ve also got to credit the opposition. So every game has brought difficulties and challenges..
“Constantly fighting, being the underdog is something that’s played a big part in us.
“We’re up against two heavyweights. The teams in Glasgow who’ve got so many obvious advantages over us.
“But what we’ve got is real strength. We’ve got real strength and a real will to do well, a real togetherness to do well, and we’re screaming with ambition to do well.
“These boys deserve all the support going forward with these next few days.”
After Dundee, Hearts face Livingston and Motherwell before the split, during which they’ll have to return to Celtic Park for a second time this season.
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Celtic’s remaining fixtures before the split
O’Neill’s men now face back-to-back trips to Dundee, where they have already lost to both local sides this season.
They then welcome St Mirren to Parkhead before playing them again in the Scottish Cup semi-final.
The Buddies will likely have a new manager in place by then, with Stephen Robinson leaving for Aberdeen last week and drawing his first game against Falkirk.
Robinson will next take his new side to face third-place Rangers at Ibrox on Saturday, making the Hoops’ the final team in the race to play this weekend.
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