Hearts manager confident ahead of Celtic meeting

“We feel we’re going into it in good form. It’s not always easy, football. You try to get that confidence from individuals and through your team and you get that from results obviously, but I think we’re going into it in a good place.

“I think we feel ready, I think the supporters feel ready for it, Tynecastle will be ready for it and hopefully we can put in a good result, because regardless of what we’ve done previously in the previous games and there’s good results and some good performances up until now, it doesn’t guarantee anything that when you play Celtic you’ve got to be on point and you’re going to have to play really well to get anything from the game, but we’re looking forward to it nonetheless.

“You always go into a new club, normally as a manager, you go into a new club because things maybe aren’t quite right, for one reason or another. It’s your job as a staff to try and get it moving in the right direction, so a combination of that, the players’ efforts, how the club have been in terms of support has been terrific.

“So I think if you look back to day one and said we’d be sitting here almost in November on the back of the performances, we’d be really pleased with that, but it’s important that we all recognise the season’s still in its infancy.

“We’re only eight games in and while everybody else can talk and fans can get excited and rightly so and it’s great that there’s so many people enjoying what we’re doing at the minute, from the professional part of it, we’ve got to just try and maintain good levels, keep trying to improve and see where it takes us and I do think a good gauge of that will come on Sunday.”

Hearts have ever right to be confident going into the game, especially given that they will all be up for a statement result. Celtic can burst that bubble by turning up and turning the tide against McInnes’ team.

Brendan has hinted at a tweak in the formation as he prepares his side to face Sturm Graz in the Europa League. It will be interested to see whether he plays a 3-4-3 or a 3-5-2.