Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart has insisted there will be no European hangover from Ange Postecoglou’s side, who are looking to get back to winnings way when they travel to Easter Road this Sunday.
The shot-stopper was one of very few players to pick up pass marks from the tie against Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt and is expecting another tough challenge when the Hoops take on Shaun Maloney’s Hibernian side this weekend.
The last time Celtic travelled to the capital to face Hibs, they put on a brilliant first-half display, and Hart has insisted that he and his teammates are keen to put on another similar performance, with Thursday’s defeat already out of their minds.
“I’ve felt that when we are really on it, and we play the football we did in that first half (at Easter Road), we can really blow teams away,” he said, as quoted by Glasgow Times.
“But likewise in the second half, when we weren’t perfect, it’s a competitive league, and there’s a lot of pride at a good club and a big club with a fan base that got behind them, it was tough. But we got the job done, and that’s all we want to do on Sunday.
“I think they might have a slightly different approach. He (Maloney) didn’t have long in charge when we played them in the middle of January, just after we came back.
He continued, “Like I say, we are that focused on how we’re doing things. We’ve got a lot of belief in what’s going on in front of us, a lot of belief in the manager.
“We take each game exactly the same, and we focus on each game exactly the same. We intend to win every game that we go into.
“Thursday proved that with human nature, you can’t do that. But that’s not through lack of trying.”
Despite the frustrating and disappointing nature of Thursday night, Ange Postecoglou’s side has been pretty faultless in domestic action over the last few months.
Sunday could be a big moment for this group of players, with the tough test that Hibs pose. At the same time, it could be a great opportunity to show that they have learned from their midweek mistakes.
Hopefully, we see the latter taking place with the Hoops continuing their run of good form in the league, with a tricky set of fixtures to come over the next few weeks.
