Celtic and Hearts face off in a potentially decisive Scottish Premiership match. Hearts need to avoid defeat against Celtic to secure the title. The match takes place at Celtic Park.
Hearts’ Pursuit of Glory
Hearts’ journey did not begin with Stuart Findlay’s late winner at Tannadice in August. Nor did it begin with Alexandros Kyziridis’s stoppage-time intervention against Livingston later that month, or the September victory at Ibrox. Figures like Brian Cormack, Alex Mackie, Jamie Bryant, Donald Ford and Garry Halliday will not feature in the Hearts team seeking to create history at Celtic Park. However, that quintet set this club on a path that after 16 years has almost reached the ultimate glory point.
Cormack and Mackie once joked about watching their team compete in the Champions League from a new main stand at Tynecastle Park. With the stand complete, Hearts will enter the Champions League’s qualifying phase this summer. Original Foundation of Hearts directors will gather to watch together as Hearts pursue the point they need to win the title for the first time since 1960. Their role in Hearts’ rise should never be forgotten.
Team Lineups and Changes
Hearts have made three changes for the match. Frankie Kent, Claudio Braga and Blair Spittal have been dropped to the bench. Stephen Kingsley, Pierre Landry Kabore and Jordi Altena come into the starting eleven. Celtic have made no changes.
The team lineups are as follows:
- Celtic: Sinisalo, Johnston, Trusty, Scales, Tierney, McGregor, Engels, Nygren, Yang, Tounekti, Maeda.
- Hearts: Schwolow, Steinwender, Findlay, Kingsley, Altena, Baningime, Devlin, Milne, Kyziridis, Kabore, Shankland.
The referee for the match is Don Robertson.
Celtic’s Home Record and Recent Form
Celtic had a strong home record against Hearts between 2009 and 2023. They had a run of 23 wins in 24 games, with one draw. Since then, Celtic have three wins and Hearts have two, including their previous meeting this season back in December.
Celtic’s form is remarkable. However, this week they were unconvincing and needed a horror penalty decision to beat Motherwell 3-2. Hearts outplayed Falkirk and won 3-0.
O’Neill’s Perspective
Martin O’Neill was asked about the furore surrounding the penalty decision in Celtic’s match against Motherwell. He said, “Am I surprised? No, I’m not surprised because everybody wants Hearts to win. It’s really as simple as that. Everybody outside Celtic and the Celtic diaspora wants Hearts to win. And if it wasn’t Hearts, it would to be Rangers, it’d be somebody else, that’s the nature of it.”
Decisions will be made and champions determined as Hearts play Celtic at Celtic Park.