Robbie Neilson knows the tough test that Hearts face against Celtic as he outlined the one key attribute his team must show.
The Jambos head for Glasgow full of confidence after a convincing win over St Johnstone to banish the pain of that defeat to Motherwell at Fir Park. The victory at Tynecastle keeps them five points clear of city rivals Hibs in the race for third spot, with Lee Johnson's men hosting Rangers under the lights at Easter Road on the same night.
The midweek Parkhead clash is the first of two between the sides this week with Ange Postecoglou taking his troops to Gorgie on Saturday lunchtime. The pair go head to head in the Scottish Cup quarter-final with a spot in the last four and a trip to Hampden up for grabs. But before any attentions turn to that big occasion, it is league duty first with Neilson aware of the 'different challenge' his side face.
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Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Neilson told the Hearts official website: “It’s going to be a different challenge for us,.
“Parkhead is always a difficult place to go, but I think with the belief we have in the group just now, we can take confidence into that game.
“The big thing for me in these games is belief, both in the team and in yourself. We’re not going to go there and control the whole game, but we have to control periods and when we have possession, we need to make the right decisions.
“The difficult thing is trying to get pressure on them higher up the pitch because technically they have some very good players. So, we have to be brave in our positioning and then try and shut off the areas that they try to play in."
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