Duo clash for first time since crazy end to last season’s title race
Forget Celtic v Rangers or Hearts v Hibs. When this season’s Scottish Premiership fixtures were released in the summer, this was the match to put in the calendar.
One hundred and fifty-five days on from one of the most epic denouements to a title race in any country, Celtic and Hearts do battle once again at Parkhead on Sunday - the venue where the Jam Tarts were given the mother of all gut-punches by the champions to deny them the title.
May 16, 2026 will forever be remembered for Celtic 3, Hearts 1, for Daizen Maeda’s winner, Callum Osmand running half the length of the pitch to score in stoppage time and the climax to a three-way battle for supremacy. It will also be remembered for wholly ugly scenes, when Celtic fans stormed on to the pitch in celebration - with some accosting the crestfallen Hearts players. Police investigations into the events remain live.
It was a controversial conclusion to a controversial and captivating campaign, where two VAR decisions involving Motherwell, Hearts and Celtic dominated the late narrative. Hearts went into the final game of the season already seething at the decision not to award them a spot-kick in a 1-1 draw at Fir Park and then the call to give Celtic a 97th-minute penalty for a Sam Nicholson handball, which facilitated a 3-2 victory on the penultimate day of the season. Having to leave Celtic Park in their kit for fear of being assaulted was wholly unjust given what they gave to a rip-snorting battle.
Hearts led 1-0 that Saturday lunchtime and one wonders what would have occurred had Alexandros Kyziridis not handled a Kieran Tierney cross two minutes afterwards to let Celtic back in it just before half time. To their enormous credit, Martin O’Neill’s side rallied after the break to clock up their seventh league win on the spin. They reeled in Hearts and nabbed them in the shadows of the winning post, like champions so often do.
Last season’s title victory wasn’t solely down to events that day in Glasgow. At the summit for 250 days, Hearts dropped points at Livingston and Kilmarnock to keep the door ajar. They were able to see off Rangers, but not Celtic. Those 800-odd die-hard Jambos inside Celtic Park - some of whom watched their club lose the title on the last day in 1986 against Dundee - were given an experience they will never be able to forget.
Football always breeds hope and many of them will take their place in the away end again on Sunday afternoon. Naturally, it will be emotional. The cuts of last season are still visible, the pain and anger still lingering beneath optimism that Hearts are continuing to motor in the right direction. They go into Sunday’s encounter in third place, five points behind Celtic, and harbour ambitions of being on the premises once again.
Just this week, shareholder Tony Bloom - the catalyst behind Hearts’ rise - reiterated his desire to see the club win the league within the first ten years of his involvement. One down, nine to go. Many believe last season was their best shot. Bloom would disagree. The idea is for Hearts to build and grow year on year.
Hearts aren’t scared of Celtic
Many of the key protagonists of last season will not be in the Hearts cohort that arrives at Celtic Park on Sunday. Manager Derek McInnes, captain Lawrence Shankland and key midfielder Cammy Devlin are all at Rangers. Alexander Schwolow, Michael Steinwender, Beni Baningime and Alexandros Kyziridis have also moved on. From the starting line-up back in May, only two are expected to feature under new head coach Wouter Vrancken in Stephen Kingsley and Claudio Braga.
Does that help or hinder Hearts? Those who played last time may be desperate for revenge, or may crumble under the emotional strain of being back. Vrancken and his fellow newbies know what happened but are not inhibited by it. And they certainly aren’t scared. Hearts are playing a brave, attack-minded, aggressive brand of football that many of their fans are relishing. They will go for Celtic right from the off.
While champions and league leaders going into this weekend’s fixtures, Celtic remain frail. They have lost four of their past five matches - including two Old Firm matches - and remain addled by disharmony in the stands. Performances on the pitch remain unconvincing and while O’Neill reiterated his desire to lead the team after considering his future during the recent international break, the 74-year-old remains under an element of pressure. Celtic have yet to win a big match this season.
This game certainly falls into that category. O’Neill needs his players to rise to the occasion. Record signing Kasper Hogh has only scored in one game this season and may well be dropped from the starting XI, with Camilo Duran appearing a more reliable striker. Other arrivals such as Haissem Hassan and Oliver Sorensen have yet to fully fire. The return of winger Jota last weekend after an 18-month injury breathes some life and creativity into Celtic’s team, although he is probably best right now as an impact sub.
Despite the differing atmospheres around both clubs, a win for Celtic would put them eight points clear of Hearts and even at this early stage of the season, that is quite a gap. Avoiding defeat is the minimum requirement for a Hearts team that will create chances, but leave plenty of space at the back.
Both teams played in Europe on Thursday. Hearts drew 1-1 at home to Norsdjaelland in the Conference League, while Celtic were soundly beaten 4-1 by Benfica in Lisbon in the Europa League. There has been little time to draw breath, little time for preparation.
This game will have to go some to get close to May 16, but it will be an emotionally-charged occasion. Celtic fans are sure to remind Hearts of the past. It is up to the visitors to respond and shape the future.