Martin O'Neill has called on Celtic to focus firmly on the positives from their 4-1 defeat at the hands of Benfica as they prepare to host Hearts on Sunday. Despite the decisive margin of the loss against Benfica, O'Neill wants his team to look beyond the final scoreline and extract constructive encouragement as they turn their attention back to domestic action.
The aftermath of the match against Benfica has sparked questions regarding whether O'Neill is right to be 'delighted' following a 4-1 defeat. While conceding four goals and suffering a loss is undeniably a difficult outcome, O'Neill's emphasis remains squarely on identifying the beneficial aspects of the performance against Benfica that Celtic can utilize moving forward.
That positive outlook will face an immediate examination when Celtic host Hearts on Sunday. With the test against Hearts looming, O'Neill is determined to see his squad channel whatever encouraging elements were produced against Benfica directly into their home fixture.
Football fans will be able to follow the action as the match between Celtic and Hearts is scheduled to be shown live on Sky Sports on Sunday. The broadcast will reveal whether Celtic can successfully build on the positives highlighted by O'Neill from the 4-1 Benfica defeat when Hearts arrive for the Sunday contest.