Hibernian boss Lee Johnson revels in derby 'shootout' for fourth
- Published
Hibs came from behind twice to beat 10-man Celtic at Easter Road
Lee Johnson is looking forward to a "fantastic climax to the season" as his Hibernian side aim to snatch fourth place in the Scottish Premiership away from Edinburgh rivals Hearts.
Two points behind after a surprise 4-2 win over champions Celtic, Hibs must prevail at Tynecastle on Saturday to leapfrog their hosts on the final day.
"It is a wonderful game for us," said Johnson. "It is not one where I will have to delve deep into the motivational manual, that's for sure. They will all be ready and up for it."
Fourth place guarantees a place in Europa Conference League qualifying, although the same will apply to fifth if Celtic beat Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Scottish Cup final.
"It is one more round, one more round of big effort and obviously there is a big prize at the end of the day," added Johnson.
"It is a fantastic climax to the season and for us. That is the key. We are going to enjoy it. We are away from home, we will have our set of supporters there.
"We believe in ourselves. We beat Hearts in the last game so the form is there, which is good."
Hibs beat Hearts 1-0 at Easter Road on 15 April for their first derby win in 10 attempts.
Hearts have won their last two home league games against Hibs, but have not managed three in a row in the top-flight since March 2010 to March 2012 (a run of four).
"The fact that they have the draw and the win on offer probably, potentially tweaks the mindset for them," said Johnson.
"For us, we know what we have to do. Straight shootout, we have to go and win the game. Simple as that. We are very clear in what we need to achieve.
"In reality, it is about us and about us delivering consistently good performances.
"What's great is that we know what a good Hibs performance looks like now and we have done that numerous times throughout the year and we just have to find that again."
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