New Hearts striker Kyle Lafferty has thrown down the gauntlet to Celtic by insisting his side will be able to end the Hoops’ unbeaten domestic run when they clash on the opening day.
The two sides are set to go head-to-head at Celtic Park on August 5 to kick off their Scottish Premiership campaigns, and the Jambos are likely to do so with new arrival Lafferty leading the line.
He arrived at Hearts from English Championship side Norwich City this summer, returning to Scotland for the first time since leaving Celtic’s Old Firm rivals Rangers in 2012.
Lafferty made 134 appearances for the Gers, scoring 36 goals during his time at Ibrox, but just one of those came against Celtic in his 16 matches against the Hoops.
However he says he is up for the fight against Brendan Rodgers’ side, who hold the Scottish Premiership, the Scottish League Cup and the Scottish Cup after their unbeaten domestic season during the last campaign.
He also says he believes that his side are capable of putting a stop to the Hoops’ record, and inflict their first Scottish defeat since May 2016 when St Johnstone managed to overcome them 2-1 at home.
He told the Daily Record: “Games don’t come much bigger than playing against the champions.
“Hearts will give Celtic a tough match and it will be an exciting game that’s for sure.
“We want to be the first team to beat them.
“I think we can. I am going to thrive on that kind of game.”
Last season saw Lafferty limited to the number of starts he made for Norwich, scoring just three goals in 17 appearances for the Canaries across all competitions.