It’s the third last match at Paradise this season for title chasing Celtic and today’s visitors are Hearts who are coming through to Celtic Park looking for a third successive victory over today’s hosts – that would be the first time they have achieved that since May 1961.
Their 2-0 win at Celtic Park back in December 2023 was their first in 28 league games at Celtic Park (D3, L24). Celtic have won six of our last seven home games, with one draw, scoring 2+ goals in five of those wins. In the last three games at Celtic Park, the Hoops have scored 13 goals – an average of 4.3 per game.
Hearts have lost just two of their last 18 Scottish Premiership matches (W12, D4) and are unbeaten in each of their last four (W2, D2) since losing 2-1 up in Dingwall against Ross County.
Lawrence Shankland has scored 21 goals in the Scottish Premiership this season, including the opener in Hearts’ win at Celtic Park on their last visit.
Brendan Rodgers has a full squad to choose from – for the first time this season – after the great news from yesterday that Daizen Maeda will be included in the squad this afternoon.
“I won’t get bogged down in the last two games that we have had against them. One at home and one away. To me, this is very much about ourselves and our focus. Hearts have done well and we played a really good game against them earlier on in the season, for various reasons the other two games have not been so good.
“This is us at home now in the final stretch of the season super-motivated and hungry to play well. If we can do that then we want to be able to pick up all three points,” Brendan Rodgers said at his media conference yesterday as he previewed today’s game against Hearts.
Celtic Park, as you would expect, has completely sold out and the support has a significant role to play as the Bhoys look to get the three points to open up a six points advantage, and the bigger the margin of victory, the more the goal difference gap will grow. That could still be significant so hopefully we’ll get see a good few Celtic goals and a clean sheet for Joe Hart.
Predicted Team
Brendan Rodgers might be tempted to go with the same starting XI from the 2-1 win at Dens Park last Sunday. That would make the Celtic team as follows:
Hart; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor; McGregor (c), O’Riley, Hatate; Kuhn, Kyogo and Forrest
Expect to see the likes of Maeda, Tomoki, Idah and Palma getting some game-time.
Match Officials
There will be rare sighting of Kevin Clancy with the whistle at a Celtic game today and his assistants will be Daniel McFarlane and Chris Rae. The Fourth official will be Colin Steven and Nick Walsh is on VAR duty assisted by Gary Hilland.
Kick-off Time
Celtic v Hearts in the Scottish Premiership kicks off at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon. Nostalgia eh?
Where to Watch
Today’s game will be broadcast live on Celtic TV and is available to subscribers based outside of Britain and Ireland. Sportscene for highlights this evening…
🟩 Matchday at Paradise! ⬜
🆚 Hearts
🏆 #cinchPrem
⌚ 3pm
🏟️ Celtic Park
💻 Live on @CelticTV (exc. UK & IRE)#CELHEA | #COYBIG🍀 pic.twitter.com/MoTjUGTmnO— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) May 4, 2024
Predicted Score
Celtic 2 Hearts 0 – goals coming from Kyogo and Matt O’Riley.
COYBIG!
ON CELTIC SHORTS…Liam Scales signs new four-year deal to stay at Celtic until 2028
