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Gary Mackay-Steven: 'Hearts will not underestimate Celtic'

Gary Mackay-Steven: 'Hearts will not underestimate Celtic'
© Reuters
Celtic crashed out of the Champions League against Danish side Midtjylland in midweek.

Hearts winger Gary Mackay-Steven knows they cannot afford to underestimate his former Celtic team-mates when they visit Tynecastle on Saturday night.

But Mackay-Steven is determined to impose Hearts' attacking game on their visitors as they return to the top flight.

Celtic crashed out of the Champions League against Danish side Midtjylland in midweek and a young defence shipped six goals to West Ham in a friendly days earlier.

Mackay-Steven said: "A lot has been said about Celtic but it's still Celtic, still a massive team, a massive challenge and they have still got great players.

"We know it's going to be a tough, tough game. I still know a lot of the boys there and the quality they have.

"We won't underestimate them at all. They are as tough a game as you'll get to start with.

"But at the same time we want to focus on ourselves, impose our style of play on the game and come out with a good performance and a good result."

Swedish centre-back Carl Starfelt is set to feature after his first Celtic training session but the inexperience of the Hoops back line could give Hearts an opportunity.

Former Aberdeen and Dundee United player Mackay-Steven said: "It's not just Celtic, we want to attack any team and show how good a team we are. But they play for Celtic, they are good players. They have had some mixed results but it's going to be a tough, tough game.

"But we go into every game confident, we are a big team and want to focus on ourselves attacking and creating chances.

"Last season proved different challenges. It's a tough league, the Championship, teams sometimes sit in, sometimes try and play.

"In this league, certainly Celtic like to impose our style, but we need to concentrate on ourselves and impose what we have been working on and bring the confidence. Especially when we are playing at home, we want to take it to each team that comes."

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Olympic medal table header
CountryGold medalSilver MedalBronze MedalT
ChinaChina29171662
United StatesUnited States22251764
JapanJapan1761033
AustraliaAustralia1441533
Olympics flagRussian Olympic Committee12211750
Great BritainGreat Britain11121235
Today's Olympic highlights header

Tuesday's key events


DIVING
· Team GB duo Jack Laugher - silver medallist in Rio - and James Heatly take part in the men's 3m springboard semi-final (2am), and will hope to qualify for the final later in the day (7am)

ATHLETICS
· Two Britons are involved in the women's long jump final, but Abigail Irozuru and Jazmin Sawyers have their work cut out to get a spot on the podium (2.50am)
· Norwegian Karsten Warholm, who broke the world record just last month, goes for gold in the men's 400m hurdles final. USA's Rai Benjamin is expected to be his main challenger (4.20am)
· Great Britain have three representatives in the final of the women's 800m, with Jemma Reekie having perhaps the best chance of a medal (1.25pm)
· A mouth-watering women's 200m final sees Elaine Thompson-Herah go for the prestigious sprint double after claiming the 100m crown. Compatriot Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Namibia's Christine Mboma and USA's Gabrielle Thomas are expected to be her main competitors (1.50pm)

SAILING
· The rescheduled women's skiff 49er FX (4.33am) and men's skiff 49er (5.33am) come to their conclusion, with Team GB involved in both medal races
· Defending champion Giles Scott bids for a second successive gold in the Finn class medal race (6.33am)
· There is another medal chance for Team GB in the mixed Nacra 17 medal race (7.33am)

ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS
· Team GB's Joe Fraser takes part in the parallel bars final, kicking off the final day of artistic gymnastics (9am)
· USA superstar Simone Biles, who has been forced to pull out of all of her finals so far, is on the starting list for the beam final as she bids for a fifth Olympic gold (9.50am)

FOOTBALL
· The men's semi-finals take place, with Mexico taking on Brazil first up (9am)
· The winner of that first semi-final will face either hosts Japan or Spain (2pm)

CYCLING
· Laura Kenny will look to win a third straight Olympic team pursuit gold medal. Team GB take on United States in their heat (7.44am), with the gold medal race later that day (9.26am)
· Laura's husband and fellow Olympic legend Jason Kenny will also look to continue his huge success in the men's team sprint - an event he has won gold in at every Games since 2008. Team GB will first need to get through the men's qualifying (7.58am), with the gold medal race ending the session (9.44am)

BOXING
· Pat McCormack will be looking to achieve his dream of Olympic gold when he faces Cuba's Roniel Iglesias (11.05am)

> Today's schedule in full
Todays Game Header Right
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1RangersRangers11003033
2Aberdeen11002023
3Hibernian11003213
4Hearts11002113
5Dundee10102201
6St Mirren10102201
7Ross County10100001
8St Johnstone10100001
9Motherwell100123-10
10Celtic100112-10
11Dundee UnitedDundee Utd100102-20
12Livingston100103-30

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