CRAIG LEVEIN is hoping Celtic take their eye off the ball when they face Hearts at Tynecastle on Saturday.
The Edinburgh side’s boss wants to capitalise on the Hoops possibly concentrating on the Champions League third round second leg against AEK Athens on Tuesday.
Brendan Rodgers’ team and the Greek title holders battled out a 1-1 draw at Parkhead last night and it’s all to play for in the second leg at the Olympic stadium.
Levein said: “I was at the game in Glasgow and, although Celtic dominated for long spells, they probably ended up with a result that isn’t ideal.
“And we have found ourselves in a position of being the game in between probably their two most important games – financially anyway – for a little while.
“We will try and take advantage of that.”
Asked if Celtic might be casting eyes to Athens, Levein replied: “I hope they are.
“Brendan and his team are professional enough to try and not let that happen, but I think it’s quite natural, understanding how important getting through this round would be for Celtic.”
Rodgers, of course, had something to say about the length of the grass on the Tynecastle pitch after the Hoops won 3-1 in Edinburgh in May.
The Irishman admitted he had to alter the team’s playing style and become more direct.
Hearts installed a new pitch over the summer, but when asked how it was shaping up, Levein remarked: “It’s a bit long just now, that’s all I can say.”
He added: “We spent a lot of money to re-seed it and do a hell of a lot of work on it.
“And when the grass is young, as ours is, then sometimes you need to have length in the grass to protect it.
“So, I think it’s crazy to dictate to the groundsmen what length the grass should be when they are doing their best to protect the club and their pitch.”
