Lewis Stevenson speaks on how Hibs have 'let themselves down a bit' against the Old Firm ahead of Celtic visit

Lewis Stevenson believe Hibs have let themselves down a bit against the Old Firm this season as the Easter Road side prepares to host Celtic on Sunday.
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Hibs have played Ange Postecoglou’s side twice on league duty, losing 3-1 in Edinburgh and 2-0 in Glasgow, while they have lost 2-1 and 2-0 to Rangers at Ibrox, and 1-0 at home.

Performances in the Premier Sports Cup against the Light Blues in the semi-final and Celtic in the final were, however, at the level they should be, according to the Hibs stalwart.

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“I said to someone I felt we’d let ourselves down against the Old Firm this season but I probably did us a disservice because we pushed Celtic all the way in the cup final,” Stevenson reasoned.

Lewis Stevenson knows what it takes to beat Celtic - and hopes Hibs can do so again on SundayLewis Stevenson knows what it takes to beat Celtic - and hopes Hibs can do so again on Sunday
Lewis Stevenson knows what it takes to beat Celtic - and hopes Hibs can do so again on Sunday

“We hung in there and it does help against the Old Firm if you can frustrate them for as long as possible and not lose an early goal. At Parkhead we kept the ball well at times but again it was that final third, we need to find a way to hurt them more.

“If you lose an early goal it’s hard because you need to open up and that’s exactly what they want.

“It might happen on Sunday so we can’t freeze and chuck it after that. We need to stick to our gameplan.”

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Hibs have been able to spend a lot of time working towards this game, which has also allowed Stevenson to share his experiences of playing in victories over the Hoops with his team-mates who are yet to taste success against the Glasgow club.

“We have had eight days to work on this game so hopefully we will have a plan in place that can give them a few problems.

“It’s small margins. I don’t think you can be overawed by them. You have to give them respect, but not show them respect at the same time.

“You want to give them a bleeding nose and let them know they’re in a game.

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“The level of players they have, they’re probably technically better, but anything can happen.

“If we get them on an off day and we play well we’ve got a great chance.”

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