Derek McInnes insists Hearts must embrace the pressure of a potential title decider at Celtic Park, as his side eye a first Scottish Premiership crown since 1960. The Edinburgh club can seal the league on Wednesday if they beat Falkirk and Celtic lose to Motherwell, though McInnes expects the title race to go to the final day.
Hearts lead Celtic by a single point with two games remaining, having already secured Champions League qualification. McInnes has an "unshakable belief" his squad can end Celtic's dominance, despite the champions winning five consecutive league games. "People talk about mentality, but the facts show the players are coping brilliantly," he said.
The Hearts boss acknowledged the difficulty of the task, with a trip to Celtic Park on Saturday following the Falkirk match. "Our first port of call is to try to see off Falkirk. I just assume Celtic will win the Motherwell game," he added. "This isn’t a semi-final; this is a final for us."
Celtic interim manager Martin O'Neill, 74, praised Hearts as a "really fine team" but backed his own side to prevail. After a 3-1 comeback win over Rangers, O'Neill said: "If we win the two games, we win it. You would have got long odds on that a few weeks ago." He recalled Celtic's 2005 title loss at Motherwell under his tenure, but added: "The anxiety now wouldn’t be that much different."
Hearts have taken 10 points from 12 despite squad disruption, dismissing claims of bottling the title. McInnes remains focused on the immediate challenge: "We have a fantastic opportunity. It is a really important five or six days ahead."
