Peter Haring and Hearts will be going all out on Sunday to ensure a trophy is not won by Celtic at Tynecastle, as you’d expect.
Ange Postecoglou’s Bhoys travel to the capital on Sunday for a potential coronation as Scottish Premiership winners. A victory is needed to get over the finishing line with four games to spare.
It’s unlikely to be a welcoming atmosphere – there is no love lost between Celtic and Hearts after all. Less than 1,300 away supporters will be in attendance too, due to the allocation given to the club by the home side.
Hearts and Celtic set for capital tussle
Haring and his team have their own goals between now and the end of the season. But the midfielder has suggested a result against Celtic would matter even more because they are by far the best team in the country.
He said [Edinburgh Live]: “As a player, you don’t really think too much about that but obviously we want to try and stop that. First and foremost, we want to win and get three points but no one wants to have another club celebrating anything at Tynecastle. We hope we can avoid that.
“It’s always a great game against Celtic, especially at home. At home we’ve got a chance against anybody in this league. We haven’t beaten them this season yet but it’s about time. We have to be confident and full of energy. Every win is different and some taste sweeter than others but obviously beating Celtic, who have been by far the best team in Scotland since I got here, always feels really good.
“You need to be defensively very solid and disciplined. That’s key. You need to try and play the game in the opposition half because when they dominate possession, the pressure increases and it gets harder. They’re very good at moving the ball quickly so once they’ve pinned you back, it’s really hard to get control of the game again. We’ve worked on a game plan and everyone needs to be ready. Energy and belief in yourself are the two main things.”
Celtic have already played Hearts on four occasions this season and have come out on top on all four. So Haring has been waiting a while on that feeling. The champions-elect will be red-hot favourites again on Sunday afternoon.
The motivation for Hearts is clear though. Every game for them right now is effectively a must-win considering Aberdeen are now five points ahead of them in the table to secure that all-important third-place slot that could guarantee European group-stage football next season. It’s all set up to be a good one tomorrow.
In other news, Billy Dodds addresses big problem Inverness CT are facing ahead of Celtic cup final.
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