Hearts manager Wouter Vrancken has told his players to forget the past as they prepare for a return to Celtic Park this Sunday. The fixture is a rematch of the dramatic final day last season where Celtic's 3-1 victory secured the Premiership title.
Vrancken, the new Hearts head coach, dismissed any suggestion his squad would be haunted by that May defeat. "I’m convinced the players will be in their heads in the game on Sunday and not in the past," Vrancken said. He stressed the need for his team to generate positive energy from the present challenge, not from previous heartbreak.
The match arrives with Celtic top of the Premiership on 21 points from eight games, holding a two-point lead over Rangers. Hearts travel to Glasgow sitting third, five points behind the leaders. Both sides are coming off European action on Thursday, with Celtic suffering a 4-1 defeat away to Benfica and Hearts drawing 1-1 with Nordsjaelland at Tynecastle.
That heavy loss in Portugal is part of a concerning recent run for Celtic, whose form in the last five matches across all competitions reads one win and four defeats. This sequence includes a 2-0 win at Motherwell last Sunday, where C. Duran and B. Nygren scored, but also league and European defeats to Rangers and Ferencvarosi TC. They will be eager to return to winning ways in front of their own supporters.
Celtic's league position has been built on a record of seven wins and one loss from their eight games, scoring 16 goals and conceding only four. Their top scorer this season is C. Durán with four goals in eight appearances, and he will be a key threat as they look to respond. Their next fixture is at home to Heart of Midlothian on Sunday 18 October.
For Hearts, the memory of being four minutes from the title last May before late goals from Daizen Maeda and Callum Osmand turned the game is a powerful one. Many of the players and staff involved that day, including former manager Derek McInnes and captain Lawrence Shankland, have since left the club. Vrancken's task is to ensure the current group is motivated solely by the 90 minutes ahead.
Celtic's home form has been strong this league campaign, contributing to their place at the summit of the standings. Their next task is to see off the challenge from a Hearts side determined to close the gap. The game at Parkhead kicks off on Sunday.
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