The dangerous Celtic factor that Premiership rivals 'must guard against' ahead of tough Parkhead assignment

Nathaniel Atkinson of Hearts vies with Daizen Maeda of CelticNathaniel Atkinson of Hearts vies with Daizen Maeda of Celtic
Nathaniel Atkinson of Hearts vies with Daizen Maeda of Celtic | Getty Images
Celtic and Hearts could barely have had more contrasting starts to the season ahead of Saturday’s Premiership clash

Steven Naismith is adamant Saturday’s Premiership visit to reigning champions Celtic is the “toughest” fixture Hearts could get in their current predicament.

The rampant Hoops boast a 100 per cent record in all competitions so far this season under Brendan Rodgers and have yet to concede a league goal in their opening four fixtures. Hearts, in contrast, sit joint-bottom of the table alongside Kilmarnock and are without a win from seven competitive games to date ahead of travelling along the M8 to Parkhead this weekend.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Jambos are in desperate need of a confidence boost after losing 1-0 to Dundee United on home soil in their last outing before the international break, with rookie boss Naismith receiving widespread criticism from supporters in recent weeks.

Loading....

It’s certain to be no easy task and speaking to the Edinburgh Evening News, the Tynecastle head coach has explained what his team must be wary of when they rock up in Glasgow’s east end. “It's obviously the toughest game we are going to come up against at this time,” he acknowledged when asked about the feeling in the Hearts camp ahead of their latest Premiership match.

“Celtic have shown that having a bit of patience last season paid off. As much as they were successful last season, for their level and their standards, I don't think there was an agreement that they were brilliant. Everybody at Celtic saw that they wanted improvement.

“They had a really good summer and they obviously have a great manager who has lots of experience. I think you can see the hard work they did last season in the tougher times which the fans didn't like, when maybe the expectation was higher than what they got, it has paid off now. I think they are a team playing good, free-flowing football and they are a constant threat. That's something we need to guard against.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic record vs Hearts

Opposite number Brendan Rodgers has faced the Gorgie outfit a total of 15 times over his two spells in charge of Celtic to date. The Northern Irishman has been victorious on 11 occasions, losing four to average 2.18 points against Hearts. However, two of those four defeats came last season as an injury-hit and out-of-form Hoops side lost 2-0 last December before going down by the same scoreline at Tynecastle in March this year in a game marred by VAR controversy.

Celtic head into this latest head-to-head in much better form, while the Jambos are remarkably still searching for their first win of the season. Rodgers has watched his side amass 38 goals and concede just 10 across those 15 previous meetings.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice