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The prospect of striding eight points clear of Celtic with victory on Sunday offers Hearts plenty motivation. Eight games into the Premiership season, they are unbeaten holding a five-point advantage over the champions at the summit. Momentum is good, confidence high and belief is growing that Derek McInnes’ first season in Gorgie might progress into something magical. McInnes himself underlines the need for realism among the excitement. Hearts are scoring more goals than anyone else in the league and haven’t conceded in four games, but the manager is experienced enough to know Celtic’s threat after their surprise 2-0 loss at Dundee. Tynecastle will be a cauldron of energy come 12pm on Sunday as the Sky Sports cameras broadcast amid a fever-pitch atmosphere. McInnes wants his players to remain focused and not become distracted. They have beaten Aberdeen, Dundee United, Rangers and Hibs already this season. Saturday brought a 3-0 win at Kilmarnock. Tick Celtic off the list and dreams of a genuine league title charge will only increase. The manager is stressing that, for all the positivity and prosperity, players still need to excel against formidable opponents. He refers to Celtic as a ‘winning machine’. “It's a big game but I want us to be playing big games every week,” McInnes told the Edinburgh News. “Saturday at Kilmarnock was a big game, the derby was a big game. I just think this is another big game. There's a bit more focus on this one for obvious reasons. We just need to try and deal with the game. “Celtic are a winning machine. They are used to winning. Yes, they had a bad result at the weekend but they still provide the biggest challenge for most teams. Celtic is always a tough game but I just want us to be as tough an opponent as we can possibly be. We are all looking forward to Sunday. “It's still early in the season but it's a chance to pit ourselves against a really good team and hopefully we can deliver a performance. It's still down to us to deliver a performance. Celtic will be ready for it and we'll be ready for it, so there will be a lot of good players on the pitch.” Between summer signings, a new coaching team and Tony Bloom’s investment, Hearts look a different club to that which finished seventh in last year’s Premiership. It remains to be seen how far they can go under McInnes. He is delighted with the progress but advised that a run of good results offers no guarantees. “You work hard to get into this sort of position,” he said. “Players are confident, the team is playing with belief, scoring goals and keeping clean sheets. It's what you want as a manager, but it doesn't give you any guarantee going into a game. It certainly helps going into a game you're in good form like that. “This game will be a test but I feel as if we are ready. Hopefully it's one where we can deal with the game. I think we will deal with the game but we need to try to find a way to win to get the outcome we all want. In terms of having players available and just how the team is looking, we are in a good place going into Sunday. The main thing is trying to make sure we are in a good position coming out of the game as well.” READ MORE: Exclusive - news on Halkett, Borchgrevink, Ageu and Kent ahead of Celtic READ MORE: Kyziridis’ value made clear READ MORE: Fans right to enjoy Hearts’ title dream after £20m and Tony Bloom prophecy
