Celtic test for Hearts

Heart of Midlothian, the Scottish League leaders, face the most rigorous test of their credentials as possible title challengers when they travel to Parkhead to meet Gordon Strachan's reviving Celtic today. At Easter Road, meanwhile, fourth placed Hibernian meet Kilmarnock, who are fifth.

And Rangers? Ah, yes, the defending champions, level on points with Hibs, must wait until tomorrow for their lunchtime televised engagement with Dundee United at Tannadice, aware that they could drop back to fifth in the table, possibly 12 points behind Hearts or nine points short of Celtic.

If the placings bewilder outsiders, they are hardly more comprehensible to seasoned observers of the Scottish game, accustomed to a fixed constellation of the Old Firm pair.

Bubbly is not a tag normally attached to George Burley but the habitually lugubrious Hearts manager was lively yesterday: "Celtic have won their last five games, they have an expensive squad, they're at home in front of 60,000 fans and that makes them favourites," he said.

"But favourites don't always win and we are undefeated. We're not an easy team to beat and we'll try to express ourselves. It'll be a mouthwatering afternoon."

Invited to recollect encounters with Strachan while both were managers in England, Burley professed absent-mindedness, but then cannily settled on two particular occasions. "When he was at Coventry we (Ipswich Town) beat him once with a last-minute goal, and I remember being 2-0 down in his first game as manager at Southampton but we came back for a 2-2 draw."

Strachan, meanwhile, was prompted to muse upon the days when he played for Aberdeen under Alex Ferguson, who liked to motivate his players by citing reports from members of the Glasgow football press in team talks.

"I don't remember him naming individuals. He just wanted to stick it up the lot of you," said Strachan, who added: "I love it when I'm talking to writers.

"Actually, I don't spend too much time on mind games - it's not that cosmic. I'm going home to watch Hope and Crosby in The Road to Alaska. For me, Hearts have already answered questions about their character. They beat Rangers and they came back for a draw against Falkirk after being 2-0 behind and down to 10 men."

The reduction in numbers in Hearts' last outing came when Craig Gordon - "the best young goalkeeper in Britain," according to Burley - was dismissed and his absence will be felt sorely by the Tynecastle side today. Celtic must do without Maciej Zurawski, injured against England at Old Trafford on Wednesday and absent for several more weeks.

Strachan also revealed that John Kennedy, the 22 year-old Celtic defender - who has been out for 19 months since an horrific tackle by Vio Ganea, of Wolves, in a Scotland versus Romania friendly ruptured two of his cruciate knee ligaments - had broken down in cruel circumstances. Kennedy's knee was damaged in a training match shortly before he was to appear at a press conference to celebrate a new one-year contract on Thursday. "We're a rough group, footballers," said Strachan. "We all get it from each other, no matter what your circumstances - marital, sexual, whatever - but after what happened to John, the banter was missing yesterday. It was very hard to lift the mood. The lad is still in shock and I don't know if he'll even be at the game against Hearts."

Taken from telegraph.co.uk