‘We’re going into this to score goals’
IAN CATHRO insists his team will be more concerned about scoring goals than conceding them against Celtic today.
The Jambos’ winless run in Parkhead stretches back 11 matches to 2009 when a Michael Stewart penalty earned the visitors a narrow League Cup win.
Even though Hearts have struggled to get going since Cathro replaced Robbie Neilson at the start of December, the former Newcastle United and Valencia coach wants his players to have the belief that they can win this afternoon.
Cathro said: “How do you beat Celtic? Score more goals than them – and want to do that.
“I think that’s one of the things that is important in the psychological part of going there.
“We want to score goals. Sometimes you go into a game and you don’t want to concede.
“Well, we want to go and play and we want to go and score.
“We want to make sure we have recovered properly and have the energy to go and do that.
“We need rest physically and mentally to recover from the Raith Rovers Cup ties. That’s been our focus.
“It means that we’ve done what we had to do.”
Big matches are coming thick and fast for Cathro, with games against Rangers and Motherwell before they face fierce city rivals and Scottish Cup holders Hibs in the competition on February 12.
Similar to Cathro, Brendan Rodgers did not have a distinguished playing career after a knee condition forced him to retire at the age of 20.
And former Dundee United youth guru Cathro is looking forward to pitting his wits against the ex-Liverpool boss.
He added: “I met Brendan Rodgers very briefly in the managers’ meeting a couple of weeks ago.
“Our paths hadn’t crossed prior to that.
“He’s had a very impressive career and impressive work.
“A guy who you’d look to as a reference of someone who has come through different circumstances and achieved at the top level.
“He’s one of the top, top coaches.”