SPFL Premiership top-of-the-table clash takes place at Tynecastle on Sunday

Players and staff at Hearts are rallying in the face of adversity ahead of Sunday’s match with Celtic. Head coach Derek McInnes is urging fans to do likewise. After a bruising few days which included injuries to key players Cammy Devlin and Lawrence Shankland, plus a suspension for the influential Beni Baningime and a Scottish Cup exit, the manager is determined not to see the Premiership leaders’ season derailed.

Firstly, he is dealing with a midfield injury crisis for the weekend. Devlin and Baningime are unavailable, denying Hearts the services of the Scottish Premiership’s strongest midfield pairing. Baningime is banned for the next two games. Like Devlin, Shankland is out for six to eight weeks. Reinforcements are being sought in the transfer market in midfield and attack but, for now, McInnes must make the best of a bad situation. He insists he will do so with a positive mindset.

Irish midfielder Oisin McEntee is close to returning from a groin injury but was not expected to be available until next week’s match against Dundee United. Rushing him back to face Celtic carries the risk of the problem recurring. Icelander Tomas Magnusson has been given extra time to recover after Saturday’s cup loss to Falkirk. Eduardo Ageu is unlikely to be fit after a hamstring tear but isn’t being ruled out just yet.

After playing most of the league games against Dundee and St Mirren with 10 men, then 120 minutes and penalties against Falkirk, Hearts are counting the cost of a punishing week. Baningime’s red card and Devlin’s ankle problem both came against St Mirren, with Shankland straining a hamstring against Falkirk. McInnes is ready to call upon others as he assesses who looks up to the task.

“Everybody from Saturday's game is fine, except Lawrence. A few were running on empty,” admitted McInnes. “We gave Tomas an extra day's recovery on Tuesday. His output over the last couple of games has been incredible, so we just need to avoid taking risks. We are working towards the weekend. We want to have as many players available as possible and then take stock.

“We need to see exactly who is available for the weekend first. There are still a few up for debate at the minute. Then we will see how we are fixed. We are obviously short in a key area of the pitch. The only midfielders training on Tuesday were Blair Spittal and Beni Baningime, but Beni isn’t available for Sunday. We are hopeful Tomas will be okay. We need to weigh it up with Oisin and Ageu and see how these guys are fixed towards the end of the week.

“Ageu has been gradually increasing his work and is due to train fully with the squad on Friday. Oisin was always pencilled in to play against Dundee United next week, so we don't want to make a bad situation worse by forcing people back before they are ready. We need to be satisfied with so many of them. Boys are keen to play their part but I think it will be Friday before we have a better idea of who will be available and who won't.”

Celtic lost both previous encounters against Hearts and will arrive in Edinburgh with Martin O’Neill in charge. He is the third different Celtic manager McInnes has encountered this season. The Tynecastle side’s rise to become title challengers has contributed to managerial changes at both Celtic and Rangers. Hearts currently hold a six-point advantage at the top of the league having beaten both Glasgow clubs twice this term.

Despite selection difficulties, McInnes is imploring all concerned to stay upbeat and focused. He wants Hearts fans to generate a raucous and hostile Tynecastle atmosphere on Sunday. Despondency over injuries and suspensions simply isn’t an option.

“Looking at the league table, it shows you the importance of our results against Celtic and Rangers,” he pointed out. “If we hadn't won those games it would be a lot closer and we might have been the team chasing. We earned the right to be where we are because we won the crucial games against our direct opponents. You get plaudits at the time for that but you don't get them now because you need to go and do it again. That's the challenge.

“If you want to be successful, you have to keep pulling out big results. For us to get a big result on Sunday, it's going to take a huge effort. I don't want people to be downbeat or crestfallen all of a sudden, or losing heart or losing hope. That just feeds into a negative result and a negative outcome. As difficult as it is, I need everybody to stay with it and keep believing that we've got the performances in these boys. We have so much good going for us.

“My focus will be on the players who are available. I feel for the ones who are out but, as a manager, you can't afford to be distracted by that. You just need to look at what is available. Once I know who can play, then it's important all the focus is on those boys to support them and give them the best possible chance to win the game.

“When Hearts run out on Sunday, the Hearts support have got a job to do to help our boys. All I would ask is that they don't lose hope or faith. Seasons are tough for a reason and we have to go through tough periods. This will be a tough period dealing with key players being out, but we would take where we are all day long. We now have a chance to strike another blow against the team below us in the league. For that, we will need everybody with a Hearts connection to pull their weight and do their bit.

“As disappointing as some of the news has been over the last week with injuries and suspensions, there's no doubt in my mind that we will be ready for them on Sunday. There's no two ways about it, we'll be ready for them.”

McInnes added that he is looking forward to his first managerial contest with 73-year-old O’Neill. “Martin will make work enjoyable. He will galvanise people and they will follow him because he's that type,” said McInnes. “I'm looking forward to coming up against him. It's the third different Celtic manager we've faced, which is unusual in itself in one season. I played against Martin's teams often enough but never managed against him. He is somebody I've got high regard for so I'm looking forward to Sunday. Celtic will see this is an important game, as it is for us. Regardless who is in the dugout, this game has a lot of significance.”