Derek McInnes views Hearts' warm-weather training in Spain as a chance to experience some tranquility before the intense Edinburgh derby that will significantly impact their Scottish Premiership title aspirations. With a weekend devoid of matches, the league-leading Jambos are utilizing their time in La Manga to optimize their preparation for the final five games of their championship pursuit. Hearts, currently a point ahead of Rangers, will resume their title quest with a visit to city rivals Hibernian in a week's time. 'This week, we decided a change of scenery and environment would allow the players to focus on themselves,' McInnes stated in a club interview from their Spanish base.
'The players have families and numerous responsibilities, and we're aware of the impending demands and focus on the upcoming games, but it's also exciting. This brief period is about being around each other, completing our work, and being as prepared as possible.' McInnes is working to prevent a repeat of Hearts' last visit to Easter Road, where they trailed 3-0 before losing 3-2 in December. 'We're trying not to think too much about the Hibs game at the moment, as we'll be fully focused on it next week,' he said. 'It's hard to ignore, given the significance of the fixture.
We know what to expect from Hibs, and we want to deliver a performance consistent with our season's displays, not the first-half showing from our last visit to Easter Road.'