Celtic captain Callum McGregor has explained how the Scottish champions can take advantage of Hearts' busy fixture schedule.

Ange Postecoglou's side take on the Jambos in league action on Sunday, August 14.

The match happens to be sandwiched between a Europa League tie for Robbie Neilson's side, as they looked to reach the group stages of Europe's second-tier competition for the first time since 2004.

The Scottish international knows the toll these qualifiers can take on the domestic front as he has been involved in qualifiers for the Champions League every season since making his debut for the Parkhead side.

“The play-off games will be huge for Hearts and they have a really important league game in between,” he said.

“It’s like the roles have been reversed this time.

"We’ll try to take advantage of that as much as we can by getting the tempo up and we’ll see what their fitness levels are like."

The 28-year-old also praised his former teammate Craig Gordon.

Both played together for the Bhoys between 2014 and 2020.

They won many trophies, including back-to-back trebles.

He continued: "Craig will know all about it. He’s a top goalkeeper and I’ve worked with him for many years for club and country.

"He just keeps showing it and he seems to get better and better year after year. He’ll be a big presence for them in Europe and domestically.

"Craig will use his experience in Europe and we know what he will be like when we are up against him this weekend.

"We’ll need to be at our best to get past him and get a positive result.”