Hearts have led all season, proving they can beat the Old Firm home and away. But can they now end Martin O’Neill’s winning domestic comeback?
Derek McInnes’ side are six points clear of the defending champions but will be without key players for Sunday’s clash at Tynecastle Park live on Sky Sports.
captain Lawrence Shankland is out six to eight weeks with a hamstring injury, joining Cammy Devlin and Stephen Kingsley on the treatment table. Benny Bunninghame is suspended for a red card in their last Premier League match.
Sunday, January 25, 2:30 p.m
Start at 15:00
Celtic returned to winning ways in O’Neill’s second return of the season, but they will need a far more convincing display than in their Scottish Cup win against sixth-placed Auchinleck Talbot last weekend.
That’s a huge plays in Gorgias. One who could have a big say in where the league trophy ends up in May…
Scene for Hearts
Hearts are the first team outside the Old Firm to reach 50 points after just 22 Premier League games.
The last non-Old Firm team to reach 50 points or the equivalent in the Scottish top flight after that number of matches was Aberdeen in 1984/85. The Dons won the title that season.
There is no doubt that the Jambos have been impressive under Derek McInnes – they finished last season with 52 points from 15 wins.
Clash at the top of the table
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Hearts have managed to beat Celtic home and away this season
Hearts put a marker in the title race with a 3-1 home win against Celtic in October.
With many still questioning their title credentials, they were beaten again at Parkhead to prevent them from moving level as Wilfried Nancy’s disastrous selection was exposed.
A win on Sunday would make it three straight for the Jambos against the Hoops for the first time since 1961.
They are the only team unbeaten at home in the Premiership this season and have scored more goals than Celtic and conceded less.
The sides have a contrast in style. Hearts used set pieces to great success, while Celtic chose to keep possession and play the ball when given the chance.
McInnes v O’Neill
Derek McInnes will face his third different Celtic manager this season as he meets Martin O’Neill for the first time.
The 54-year-old has dominated the Old Firm with four wins so far, with the side also unbeaten in the league at Tynecastle Park.
O’Neal, however, will be a different challenge.
Celtic have won all seven of their league games under the veteran coach, keeping six clean sheets.
The defending champions scored 17 Premier League goals under O’Neill. With Nancy at the helm, they scored 10 times while conceding 12.
Loss of Lawrence
Hearts captain Laurence Shankland suffered a hamstring injury in last weekend’s Scottish Cup defeat to Falkirk and will be out for six to eight weeks.
It’s a huge blow to a side who usually perform better when the Premiership’s best player is on the pitch at the moment.
The Jumbos have scored 211 league goals since Shankland joined from Berschot in 2022 – he has contributed to 67 of them.
To put that into context, the rest of the current squad have contributed a total of 82 goals in the league.
Hearts are missing midfield
Hearts will be without midfielders Cammy Devlin (left) and Benny Benninghame against Celtic
Losing Shankland is a blow, but it’s even worse for Hearts that they are also without their midfield pairing of Cammy Devlin and Benny Beningham.
They have won 14 of the last 15 games the pair have started – 11 of 12 this season.
Since the duo joined the Jambos in the summer of 2021, Hearts have won more than half of the Premiership games they have both started.
Stats
Devlin, also out for up to eight weeks, has been leading the way in the middle and has played more minutes than any other Premiership midfielder so far this season.
Bunningham’s impact is also evident – Hearts have won just five of the 11 league games they have played without him this campaign, compared to 10 of 11 when he has played.
O’Neill regains confidence in front of goal
There was no escaping the fact that Celtic needed a new striker, with Tomas Cvančara is coming on loan from Borussia Mönchengladbach, but O’Neill seems to have the ability to get the best out of the players at his disposal.
Johnny Kenny, who has spent the last two seasons on loan at Shamrock Rovers, has scored five of his six goals this season with the veteran boss in charge.
Another player who has been boosted by O’Neill’s presence is Arne Engels – he has scored two of his four goals from open play in games under the interim boss.
Then there is Benjamin Nygren, who has many goals in the Premiership this season.
The forward has scored five goals and made one assist in his last six games, including the only goal against Falkirk in the Hoops’ last Premier League match.