Hearts' 'laidback' build-up to Tynecastle blockbuster

Derek McInnes admits it has been a "long week" waiting for Hearts' Monday night showdown with Rangers. The mood in the table-topping Tynecastle squad is high after their comeback derby win at Easter Road last Sunday. So how have McInnes and the players prepared for arguably the club's biggest game in decades?

"I think we've deliberately not spoken too much about the game," said the 54-year-old head coach. "It's been a long week, obviously, Sunday to Monday. This is our longest period because we go Monday to Saturday and then we'll get three games in a week, so we take the good of having those extra rest days.

"We'll start to make a bit more reference to it today with the players and speak a bit about the game itself. But I think it's getting the balance right. "The week's been pretty laidback.

We just want to make sure we're strong at the right time, not too early in the week. I think it's important that we just enjoy our work this week. "We've probably got so many different nationalities in the dressing room, we just try and lean on everything we've got.