Midfielder, Paulo Bernardo is back in the running for a place in the squad as Celtic return to SPFL action this Saturday, with Hearts visiting the East End of Glasgow. He hasn’t played since the 5-0 Scottish Cup win over Raith Rovers in early February when he had to depart in the 37th minute after an ankle injury cut short his participation in the game. Up until then, the 23-year-old had played a part in no fewer than 36 of Celtic’s 39 games in all competitions, missing only the league opener against Kilmarnock in August, and wins over St Mirren and Ross County in January. He’s been out for the eight games played since then but he’s delighted to be back in the frame again. Speaking ahead of the Hearts visit, he said: “It’s been all good. ‘I can play football again, so I’m really excited for the weeks that are coming.’ “The injury was bad, but I recovered very well and hopefully I can play from now on.” Initially, it was hoped that it would be a short-term injury, but a scan quickly revealed the true extent of the damage. The Celt said: “It was bad when I saw the results of the scan, because I also thought it was a short-term injury. “But I’ve had the opportunity to recover well and to work on other things that I couldn’t do during the season. “So it was a good time to recover and to do other things.”That Raith Rovers match was only the third game back in the Hoops for Bernardo’s fellow Portuguese Celt, Jota, since the winger’s January return, so that’s a partnership the midfielder is keen to resurrect. He laughed: “I’m looking forward to playing with everyone, but it’s nice to have Jota here with me. “I speak a lot with him, so I think we are a good double too. “I just spoke with him after he re-signed, not before, but he was really excited to be here again.” Two of those aforementioned 36 games for Bernardo were against Saturday’s visitors, with a 2-0 September win at Celtic Park followed by the 4-1 win at Tynecastle in November. If Bernardo turns out for a third time against Hearts this season, it will be his 70th game in the Hoops, but he’s being realistic about his possible time on the pitch. And when asked if he’s fit for the weekend, eh said: “I would say yes, but it’s been a while for me outside of the pitch. “So probably not 90 minute, but I will try my best to do as best as I can if the coach wants me to play.” Bernardo also returns after a busy time for the side in a hectic couple of months, both in Europe and domestically for his team-mates, and he added: “I think every player wants to play all the games, and these games are special and games we want to be part of. “But I tried to support my team-mates from outside, and tried to give them the support they need.” The Celt finished on a high last season by playing a crucial part in Adam Idah’s last-minute winner in the Scottish Cup final against Rangers at Hampden, and he and his team-mates are determined to have a strong end to this term as well. “As a team, we still have some goals to achieve, and we will try our best to do that as soon as possible.” he explained. ‘And for me, I want to have good games before the end of the season and try to do my best in every game. Each opportunity that I have, I will try to give it all on the pitch.” Not only are the Celts returning from the latest international break, but the most recent game was also the derby defeat, and Bernardo is looking for the Hoops to bounce back from that. He said: “It’s always disappointing to lose a game, but we’re 13 points ahead of second place, it’s been a very good season and we are excited to go again after the international break. “We know that Hearts will be a difficult game but we will do our best and we have learned from the other games what we can improve, and we will try to do it. “We are ready to go again and with the supporters on our side it’s always easier to play.” More on the match Follow the build-up and all the Hearts match action live on the official - Celtic FC Match Centre. Don’t miss out on the matchday programme –
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