Hearts struggled throughout against the attacking quartet of Osmand, Benjamin Nygren, Hassan and Duran.
The young forward scored twice, while the Sweden international also claimed a brace to take his midfield tally to eight goals before Halloween. The consistently impressive Colombian contributed a goal and two assists, and the Egyptian winger produced one of his strongest performances since arriving after the World Cup. Could this become the preferred attacking setup? Their manager suggested that would not always be possible.
“No, because we have a demanding run of European and domestic fixtures ahead of us,” O’Neill explained.
“Our schedule alternates between Sundays and Thursdays for several weeks, so we will need to rotate the team. The entire squad has a role to play at this point, especially with matches coming continuously between now and early January.”
Celtic’s schedule immediately supports his argument, with Thursday’s Europa League meeting against Celta Vigo already carrying major importance. Both clubs remain without a point in the league phase after losing their opening two matches.
“We will make a few changes on Thursday night,” O’Neill said.
“Our objective is still to win, and giving other players opportunities from the bench or short spells on the pitch is extremely valuable. It benefits the squad as a whole and strengthens the team’s confidence.
“We expect a difficult contest. Celta Vigo compete in one of Spain’s leading divisions and are a very capable side, but this is a match we likely need to win.
“A victory would give us momentum and help us recover ground after two defeats. We urgently need the points and will commit everything to securing them.”
What do you feel about this post?
Like
Love
Happy
Haha
Sad
