Robbie Neilson explains team selection thinking for Celtic cup tie at Tynecastle

Robbie Neilson says he’ll likely only make a couple of alterations to the Hearts team that did so well at Celtic Park in midweek.

The visitors took the lead at the home of the champions and competed excellently for the first hour at Celtic Park despite fielding an understrength side before eventually succumbing to a 3-1 defeat.

The main reason for the much-changed XI in Glasgow was a growing injury list for the Capital club, with captain Lawrence Shankland a major doubt to return in time from a hamstring injury.

There is brighter news elsewhere ahead of the Scottish Cup quarter-final in Gorgie with Stephen Kingsley, Alex Cochrane and Robert Snodgrass all expected to return, while goalscorer Josh Ginnelly will be fit despite being forced off in the first half.

Hearts head coach Robbie Neilson speaks to the press prior to Saturday's Scottish Cup quarter-final tie with Celtic. Picture: SNS

Neilson has full faith in whichever side he selects to try and go toe-to-toe with Ange Postecoglou’s visitors.

"My job is to pick the team which I think will win the game whether they play really well the week before or they don't,” he said.

"We will make a couple of changes but not many. I think the guys who came in did really well, but we also have to bring that freshness and that energy to the game.

"I would expect Celtic to bring in two new full-backs, I expect Reo Hatate and Aaron Mooy to come in and one of the wingers to come in for Daizen Maeda. They could make five or six changes as well to bring that freshness.

“I thought during the game on Wednesday night we matched them for periods in the game. There's no doubt they popped it about but we did that as well at times we kept the ball. But ultimately we lost the game. For us, we want to try and win these games and we want to win them our way.

"We could have quite easily gone to Celtic Park and not played any football at all but felt we have the players here who can do that and it will be the same on Saturday.

"It will be a different line-up, different atmosphere and a different size of pitch and a different environment and I feel we need to try and take our game to them as well.”

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