Partick Thistle boss fearing Celtic backlash
Alan Archibald thinks lightning will have to strike twice if Partick Thistle are to repeat Hearts' shock win over Celtic.
The Hoops lost their 'Invincibles' tag on Sunday as Craig Levein's Jambos took advantage of a rare below-par display to end their 69-game unbeaten run with a stunning 4-0 triumph.
But Jags boss Archibald fears his men could now find themselves on the end of a backlash when they travel to Parkhead on Wednesday.
It is almost 10 years since the champions suffered back-to-back league defeats and Archibald expects Brendan Rodgers to rejig his line-up as he looks for a response.
But, if Thistle are to pull off an astonishing double, the Firhill manager knows his side will have to eradicate the blunders that cost them a 3-0 loss at Dundee on Saturday as well as hope Rodgers' side are once again off the boil.
"It could be the wrong time to face them," admitted Archibald. "Everyone is aware there's normally a backlash after a disappointing result.
"It gives you hope the way that Hearts played against them and the amount of opportunities they created.
"But we're well aware that any time Celtic have had a bad result, like the ones in Europe this season, they have bounced back in the following game.
"It was such a surprising result. Celtic have hardly lost that number of goals in their last 10 games, so to concede four in one was really surprising - but credit for that has to go to Hearts.
"Craig was spot on with what he said before Sunday's game - you need your own team to be at the top of their game and Celtic to have an off day.
"You're left praying for lightning to strike twice in the hope they have another off day.
"We'll have to be at our best too. The weekend again showed we are having a real struggle with consistency. We got a good result against Motherwell, but then we just didn't perform against Dundee.
"The individual errors we made were just ridiculous and we need to try to eradicate them."
It has been suggested that Levein laid out a blueprint for how to stop Celtic's attacking threat at source after instructing his team to hunt the Hoops down high up the tight Tynecastle pitch.
But Archibald admits that is easier said than done on the wide expanses of Celtic Park.
He explained: "It's a different game at Parkhead compared to Tynecastle. I'm taking nothing away from Hearts as they were outstanding, but it's a little easier to press Celtic so high with the dimensions of the pitch at Tynecastle.
"The surface wasn't great either, so it allows you to put some pressure on a loose pass.
"However, there is a template there for how to beat Celtic and the one key lesson I took from it was how hard you have to work.
"If everyone works their hardest and puts Celtic under pressure all over the pitch it shows you can get your rewards.