Derek McInnes has transformed Hearts into a "completely different animal," and with the Edinburgh club chasing their first league title in 60 years, they have every reason to be confident heading into a crucial clash against Celtic.

Sitting three points clear at the top of the table with just three games remaining, Hearts are in the driver's seat. Their recent 2-1 comeback victory over Rangers all but ended the Glasgow club's title hopes, and now all eyes are on the final day showdown at Celtic Park. Depending on results in the next two matches, Hearts could already be crowned champions by then.

The transformation under McInnes has been remarkable. Fan Liam Corbett of the This is My Story podcast summed it up perfectly: "I genuinely never ever felt that Rangers would come to Tynecastle and beat Hearts. Hearts are a completely different animal now under Derek McInnes at home."

Corbett added that he watched Celtic's recent performance and felt no fear. "If we're on our game, there's nothing there that I'm genuinely terrified of," he said. "And they'll have watched the first half on Monday and gone: 'Wait a minute, neither of these two teams is catching us.'"

McInnes himself was named manager of the year after an impressive debut season in Gorgie, and his post-match comments after the Rangers win revealed exactly why. "He came out and said it was a terrible first half—nothing like us, nowhere near what we're supposed to be," Corbett recalled. "He asked the players: 'Do you want to be champions? Do you want to show everybody that you're top of the league? Go out and put it right, because that wasn't good enough.'"

For a team on the brink of history, that kind of leadership is exactly what fans need to see—and what opponents should fear.