Derek McInnes believes three points in the Edinburgh Derby this Sunday would be the perfect tonic for his side to take into the final matches of the season.
The Jambos kickstart their post-split campaign in Leith this Sunday and while acknowledging the difficult task that lies ahead, McInnes admits it would be a confidence booster for everyone connected with the men in maroon.
Speaking to the media at of the pre-match press conference, he said:
“I think when you look at the fixtures, each one will be a different task. But every one of them is a really tough game, and I think it will be very competitive. Arguably, we could be getting the toughest game in a lot in the first one, with the dynamics of the derby.
“It's a great game to be involved in. For us, it's trying to take each game as it comes along. I think it'll be tough for each game, each team, because I think the competitive nature of the top six, the better teams. There's still so much to play for, for Falkirk, Hibs and Motherwell. They've got their own fights to deal with. Each game will be very competitive, very exciting. I'm just delighted to be part of it.
“We just try and deal with the first game, which is difficult enough, for obvious reasons. The added ingredient of it being a derby makes things that bit more challenging. But it's challenging for Hibs as well. We've got to expect that Hibs are fighting for their own motivation to finish in those European spots.
“But equally, we've got to go there and try and be the confident-hearted team I know we're capable of being and winning a game that we know we can win. But we've got it all to do to go and do that.
"We all know the significance of this one. Even if both teams are sitting at the bottom end of the table and they don't really have a lot to play for. There's not a meaningless derby game and we're all well aware of that.
“The first game, I think in any split, if you can get off to a good start, it can give you that added momentum and confidence.
“I think it would be a big ask for any team in the split to win all five games. I think the evidence suggests that that will be difficult for any team to do that, based on what's already happened this season. But if you can get off to a good start, then it gives you that momentum, that confidence that anything's possible. And hopefully we can do that on Sunday.”
You can watch Derek’s press conference in full on Hearts TV.
