Robbie Neilson admits answering the Old Firm Midlothian question is the next step in Hearts ' quest to remain Scotland's third force.
The Jambos boss believes tomorrow's clash with Rangers at Tynecastle is another acid test for his side's credentials and he believes they can deliver a first win over the Light Blues since January 2020.
With a Europa Conference League at home to Fiorentina also looming next Thursday, Neilson insists the focus is on claiming three points which would pull the Gorgie men level on points with the Ibrox side and join them in second spot on the Premiership table and he's adamant it can be achieved. He said: "One of the things we speak about at the start of the season is beating the Old Firm, beating them in Edinburgh. It’s something we want to do more. We have done it before. The other side of it is also going to Glasgow and winning. These are big things and once you start doing them regularly, you become a more confident team.
"The games at Tynecastle are games that we have won before so there is that belief that we are going to go into the game and win. If we can do that, we can start taking it through to Glasgow, which is the next step again."
An indifferent run of recent form from Rangers was also dismissed by Neilson who is adamant Gio van Bronckhorst's side are still as good as it gets when it comes to a Premiership test.
He said: "Like any team, you go up and down throughout the season. If you had said to me at the start of the season, when they played pre-season games against Union, they were flying and scoring goals and doing really well.
"Then you go through a wee dip and you go back up again. They’re still a very, very good team with a lot of good players. A couple of boys are out with injuries, similar to ourselves.
"You go through a wee period where you need to wait for them to come back. Once they get all of them back, I think they will be strong again."
Neilson was also delighted to see keeper Craig Gordon first through the door to training yesterday morning despite the giving him some leave of absence on the back of his heroics for Scotland against Ukraine and becoming a father again last weekend.
He said: "The mark of him is that he had the game the other night and his partner has just had a kid. We said to him to take a couple of days off but he turns up today at half nine to get ready for training because he wants to be ready for the weekend and he wants to keep himself going.
"He’s already talking about the European games. I didn’t even know Scotland had a game against Turkey in November. He was telling me he is getting ready for that because that will take him to X number of caps.
"Then the next ones are March and he's getting ready for that. So he’s really driven to try and get as many caps as he can and keep playing for as long as he can. He’s a different player from what he was 15 years ago - more experienced, calmer, more settled.
"It’s like anything. People look after themselves more than they did 20 years ago. So as long as his body holds up, he will still be playing."
Scotland's promotion from the Nations League Group B1 is also another feel good factor for the Scottish game and Neilson is convinced the international success can have a positive impact on the domestic scene.
He said: "It’s a feel good factor for everybody. Players play at high levels, playing against big teams - it’s great for the country and great for the clubs. It’s been a great couple of years for the national team. Hopefully getting that Nations League victory and getting into a better pot will allow us in the years to come to get to a World Cup and get to another European Championship.
"That’s a motivation for players. If you’ve got a World Cup coming at the end of the season, you are making sure you are ready to be involved in it."
Hearts are set to be without key defender Craig Halkett for Saturday's clash but the Scotland squad man should be ready to face the Italians in midweek.
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