Martin O'Neill wants Celtic to take the positives from Lisbon after the 4-1 defeat to Benfica, but the run they carry into Sunday is a lot harder to sell. Celtic have lost four of their last five matches across all competitions, have taken no points from two Europa League league-phase fixtures and sit 33rd in the 36-team table.

He said after the Benfica game: "The second-half performance gives me what I would call the determination, and I think we can still qualify." That came alongside a fuller defence of the display, with O'Neill saying Celtic "created chance after chance" and that it was a shame they conceded the three goals first of all.

O'Neill's case after Lisbon

The argument is built on the second half, where O'Neill said Celtic were "really terrific" and that the team should have scored more. That view has not gone unchallenged. Tino Callaghan said the manager is choosing to accentuate the positives, but added that there was "so much wrong in the first half in particular" and that Hearts is now "a must-win game".

Chris Sutton was more pointed, saying O'Neill was wrong to speak publicly about doubts over his future and calling it "a big mistake". The wider issue is not the Benfica scoreline alone, it is the pattern around the big games, with Celtic's recent run also including the league defeat to Rangers and the League Cup loss to the same opponents.

Hearts arrive with momentum

Hearts are unbeaten in their last three matches across all competitions, and their trip to Parkhead comes at a good time for them and a difficult one for Celtic. O'Neill can still point to the second half in Lisbon, but Sunday is the sort of match that either gives that message some weight or leaves it sounding optimistic after another bad result.

The pressure is already there, with Celtic on 0 points from 2 in Europe and facing a Hearts side that has been more settled over the last three games. Parkhead on Sunday will tell the story more clearly than Lisbon did.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →