Exclusive:Hearts warned over Hibs and Celtic as Derek McInnes goes on a scouting mission ahead of Rangers match
Scottish Premiership title race is captivating for all involved
Hibs can do Edinburgh rivals Hearts a huge title-race favour by beating Celtic on Sunday, but Derek McInnes is warning his players not to rely on help from others. The Tynecastle side will win the Scottish Premiership with 10 points from the final 12 available, and head coach McInnes knows not to expect favours from across the city, or anywhere else.
Celtic dropping points at Easter Road would aid Hearts’ cause ahead of their meeting with Rangers on Monday. McInnes simply want his team to take care of their own business rather than focus on results elsewhere. He will attend Falkirk’s match with Motherwell on Saturday to scout two of Hearts’ forthcoming opponents, and then prepare for Rangers’ trip to Gorgie.
That will be a highly-charged occasion as both teams compete with Celtic for the league title. Hearts beat nine-man Hibs 2-1 at Easter Road last Sunday to sit three points above Celtic and four ahead of Rangers. McInnes knows the consequences of a slip-up could be decisive for any side at this stage of the campaign, but he doesn’t want any scenario where Hearts are looking for another team’s assistance.
“Our fight has got to be with ourselves and we've got to expect that we can't be dependent on others,” he said, speaking exclusively to the Edinburgh News. “If you are sitting there praying for other teams to help you and do you a favour, then for me that never works. It's just a case of dealing with what you've got to deal with. I've just always assumed that Rangers and Celtic will win their games, and so then we need to win our games.
“Celtic play first this weekend but we are not going to get obsessed with that. Of course, if they don't win then it's a bonus for us and Rangers, just as it was for us and Celtic last weekend when Rangers lost. We can't think that we can only achieve our aims by others slipping up. We have got to take care of our own business. I'm just concentrating on us. I will go and watch Falkirk on Saturday and we will watch the Celtic game on TV the next day.”
Rangers have lost only two league games since appointing head coach Danny Rohl last October. The first of those was against Hearts at Tynecastle on 21 December, the other came last week at Ibrox against Motherwell. A Hearts victory on Monday would continue their impressive unbeaten home record this season, take them a huge step closer to history and all but finish Rangers’ title challenge in the process. McInnes is hoping to have defender Harry Milne back after injury, but midfielder Cammy Devlin is still a major doubt.
“There will be a lot of noise, focus and spotlight on the game, and rightly so. We all see the importance of it,” acknowledged McInnes. “From our point of view, it's just about trying to get the training right. We will pick a team from the squad available to us. We want to get the preparation right.
“All season, we have enjoyed playing at Tynecastle. We have been the team I wanted us to be at Tynecastle, and the results have generally been there for us at Tynecastle. We take a lot of confidence and comfort from that going into the game. We are, however, well aware that Rangers are such a strong side. The money they have spent putting that squad together deserves respect and we need to recognise there is a job to be done.
“Hopefully we can do our job well, enough to get the outcome we want. We are well aware that, as each game goes by, every three points becomes more and more crucial. We see the opportunity that's there and hopefully we can go and take it. Having said that, win, lose or draw on Monday, there is still a lot to be played for.
“Every team will think they can win their remaining fixtures. To do that is so difficult because it's not just Rangers and Celtic you need to contend with. There are no gimmes in this top six at all. Motherwell, Hibs and Falkirk have already shown time and time again this season that they can take points and beat better teams. Every game has its own challenges and Monday is another one, but an exciting one nonetheless. To be honest, I'm loving the fact we have these games. Hopefully we can come out the other end of it.”