Source: Team_Talk
Jefferies happy to face Celtic
Hearts boss Jim Jefferies is happy his team are up against an in-form Celtic on Wednesday night, despite the Bhoys' 9-0 win on Saturday.[LNB] Many managers might prefer to avoid playing a team so soon after they delivered a 9-0 thrashing, but Hearts boss Jim Jefferies is happy his team are up against an in-form Celtic on Wednesday night.[LNB]Celtic inflicted Aberdeen's heaviest defeat of all time on Saturday, but Hearts are on a high of their own following their 2-0 derby win over Hibernian 24 hours later.[LNB]And Jefferies believes the visit of Celtic is an ideal follow-up game to ensure his players do not take their eye off the ball.[LNB]"The feet are on the ground because we're playing against a very good team who are also going into the game on a high, obviously, after their performance on Saturday," Jefferies said.[LNB]"Sometimes if you're playing a lesser team you maybe think it's a foregone conclusion and things are a bit flat and they start well because they are thinking there might be complacency. So it's the right game.[LNB]"There will be a great atmosphere again and the crowd will be behind us, they were great on Sunday. It should be a cracking game."[LNB]Jefferies does not expect Celtic to show any signs of complacency at a ground where they are usually given a tough test.[LNB]"I'm not sure you get Celtic or Rangers being complacent for anyone," he added. [LNB]"The levels they expect are scanned into them from the first minute to last. They have pressure to win every game so I don't see that.[LNB]"They are used to winning games and they will see this now as a game which is very difficult. If they are on a massive high, we are too."[LNB]Celtic's extraordinary victory has further fuelled concerns that the Old Firm are growing too strong for the rest of the Scottish Premier League.[LNB]Other than their derby defeat to Rangers, Celtic have won all 10 games this season, while Walter Smith's men have taken 31 points from a possible 33.[LNB]But Jefferies saw his team take the lead against Rangers at Tynecastle last month before Steven Naismith struck an injury-time winner to complete a late comeback for the visitors.[LNB]"You've got to give them credit, both clubs have made fantastic starts to the season," Jefferies said.[LNB]"They know themselves they are not going to win every game. Who would have thought Rangers would drop points at home to Inverness? Somewhere down the line a team will beat them.[LNB]"We played Rangers here recently. I'm not saying they didn't play well but they didn't look like they were going to get anything out the game at one stage and it took some extra time to get the win.[LNB]"We had the best chance at 1-1 when Kevin Kyle missed a great chance underneath the bar."
