It is pretty safe to say that Derek McInnes is enjoying the best moment of his managerial career right now. He has guided Hearts to the top of the Scottish Premiership table and it does not look like this is a team that will go away quietly. They won 3-0 away against Kilmarnock this weekend, which means they are now five points clear of Celtic in the title race.
That puts further pressure on Celtic to get a win this weekend when they take on Dundee FC away from home. And then, they will meet Hearts in what could very well prove to be the most important game of this season.
Of course, we saw Aberdeen make a similar start last season before completely losing their form. But just because it happened with the Dons does not mean that that will be the case with McInnes' team as well.
McInnes certainly looks to be looking forward to Hearts' upcoming game against Celtic, although he does recognise the magnitude of the test ahead of them as well. As reported by the Daily Record, the manager said:
"Listen, It’ll take care of itself, that one.
"I was getting asked loads about the game prior to this game, which was kind of annoying me a wee bit.
“This game needed our full attention, but now that we’ve won it, obviously we can look forward to the game.
“The game will lend itself to a brilliant atmosphere.
"Of all the challenges we’ve had, there’s been many, and we keep coming up with answers at the minute and we need to maintain that, next Sunday is the toughest challenge of them all.
“Anytime you play Celtic, it’s the toughest challenge, but I think we’re going into it in a good place. Players should be pleased with their efforts, they should be pleased with their performance.
"The majority are playing at a high level at the minute.
“It’s just important that we’ve got recognise that the crowd will help us, the wins get into the game, the confidence will help us, but we’ve got to keep maintaining and improving our performance if we’re going to try and beat a team like Celtic."
Derek McInnes makes bold Celtic claim after another Hearts win
McInnes also mentioned how he wants his team to be obsessed with winning. And picking up wins is certainly a habit, there is no doubt about that. Celtic should know that well. Despite not performing anywhere near their best this season, they have won a ton of games out of sheer individual quality or will at times.
Of course, getting past Hearts will not be easy. It never is, and on top of that, they are full of confidence and belief at the moment.
Let's see how things play out in that game. But for now, Celtic's focus has to be completely on getting the better of Dundee FC this weekend. Every point is valuable when things are this tight.
That being said, one cannot forget that we are still in mid-October. There is a ton of football left to be played and while things are looking close at the moment, there is a lot of time left to open up a gap over the course of the season. So, there is no real need to panic, no matter what the result is of that upcoming game with Hearts.