Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has said Heart of Midlothian "will improve" after a challenging start to the new season.

Hearts travel to Celtic Park to take on the Scottish Premiership champions on Saturday looking for a repeat of their trip to Glasgow's east end back in December.

Steven Naismith's men won 2-0 at a period when he was coming under pressure following an inconsistent beginning to life as Hearts head coach.

Rodgers gave his backing to Naismith, noting his new contract extension.

"In terms of points, it’s probably been a challenge for Steven, with European football as well," he said. "They will improve, and I don’t have any other thoughts on that other than they will improve.

"It’s still very early on in the season. I believe I’m right in saying Steven signed a new contract in the summer, so he clearly feels wanted and appreciated by the club, so they want him to continue with the work. They’ll be expected to improve, but I’m pretty sure they will.

"For me, we just have to be ready for a really good game. We’re in a really good mood to keep our performance levels as high as possible and make it as difficult as we can for Hearts tomorrow."

Celtic have won all five of their games so far this season, averaging three goals a game, conceding just once.