Doubts emerge over a key Hearts player ahead of the midweek trip to Celtic Park

Illness is affecting Hearts defender Stephen Kingsley ahead of Wednesday’s Premiership visit to Celtic as management wait to discover whether he will recover in time to play.

The versatile left-back did not attend the club’s Riccarton training base on Monday as he felt unwell. He played 90 minutes in the 3-0 victory against St Johnstone on Saturday but felt ill as the weekend progressed. Hearts do not want him potentially spreading any bug and intend to wait until he is fully recovered before reinstating him to the squad.

Manager Robbie Neilson reported some other niggling issues following the weekend match as Hearts prepare to travel to the home of the league champions. “Most of them are fine. We have a couple of boys with a few niggles after Saturday’s game so they will get tomorrow and Wednesday to see how they are, then we will take it from there,” said Neilson.

“Kingsley has had a wee bit of a bug over the last couple of days. A couple of them have had it. Stephen Humphrys was ill and a couple of the younger ones weren’t feeling great either. It’s probably just the time of year.”

Toby Sibbick is available to step into defence should Kingsley be ruled out prior to kick-off in Glasgow. Hearts are looking to end a long wait for a victory at Celtic Park having last won there in the League Cup in 2009. Their previous league success came back in 2007.

Celtic won 4-3 at Tynecastle Park last time the clubs met in October and Neilson feels able to draw on some confidence from running Ange Postecoglou's side close in that encounter. Lawrence Shankland scored a hat-trick including two penalties that day, and the overall level of Hearts’ performance offered much encouragement.

“Yeah, 100 per cent, the October game gives us belief,” stated Neilson. “The players have to have belief in themselves going to these environments. You then have to believe in the team. The consistency of how we play and what we are doing helps the players with that. There’s no doubt Celtic are a very good team with some top players but we have to go in with the belief we can control, not the whole game, but periods of it.”