Preview, team news, head to head, probable line ups, tactical analysis and where to watch Celtic vs Hearts in the SPFL Premiership title decider on Saturday
On Saturday, Celtic Park will play host to arguably the biggest game in Scottish football this century, with kick off at 12:30 local time / 13:30 CET / 07:30 ET / 04:30 PT. Reigning champions Celtic host current league leaders Hearts on the final day of the SPFL Premiership season needing a win to retain the title and deny the visitors a historic triumph.
Hearts’ season has caught the eyes of football fans worldwide, topping the table for much of the campaign, with belief growing every week that for the first time since Aberdeen in 1984/85, a team outside the traditional big two could win the league.
It has also been the first genuine three-way title race since 1997/98 and Saturday will be the first time this century that the top two in the league face each on the final day with the title at stake.
The drama in Scottish football this season could scarcely have been scripted any better and the Premiership’s infamous Split has also ensured that the top teams have all had to play each other in the final month of the season. Now the three-way title race has become a two-horse race and it will all come down to the final day.
Team news and injury updates
Celtic
Martin O’Neill’s side aren’t expected to have any fresh injury concerns after Wednesday night’s dramatic late win at Motherwell. Colby Donovan who has been out for a few weeks with a hamstring complaint remains a doubt but could return.
Long-term absentees Cameron Carter-Vickers and Callum Osmand have been spotted in training, but a return before the end of the season would be a surprise. Meanwhile, Jota, Tomas Cvancara, Julian Araujo and Kasper Schmeichel have all been confirmed as out for the season.
Hearts
Derek McInnes also has some injury concerns and there has been bad news on a couple of fronts. Craig Halkett and Marc Leonard both ruptured their Achilles in the draw at Fir Park against Motherwell at the weekend and are out. Oisin McEntee has also been ruled out, but Finlay Pollock and former Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon still have a chance of making the squad.
There is better news on Harry Milne, however, who played 45 minutes in the win over Falkirk on Wednesday and came through that test unscathed. Elsewhere, Calem Nieuwenhof, Ageu and Tomas Magnusson have all been ruled out.
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Head-to-head (H2H) record
While Celtic have historically dominated meetings between these two teams, it is the Edinburgh side who have the upper hand this season, going unbeaten in the previous three encounters this campaign. Celtic must do what they haven’t done since March 2025 if they want to win the league.
Last five meetings:
25/01/2026: Hearts 2-2 Celtic (Scottish Premiership)
07/12/2025: Celtic 1-2 Hearts (Scottish Premiership)
26/10/2025: Hearts 3-1 Celtic (Scottish Premiership)
29/03/2025: Celtic 3-0 Hearts (Scottish Premiership)
23/11/2024: Hearts 1-4 Celtic (Scottish Premiership)
Probable line-ups
Celtic predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Sinisalo, Johnston, Trusty, Scales, Tierney; Engels, McGregor; Yang, Nygren, Tounekti; Maeda
Hearts predicted XI (4-4-2): Schwolow; Steinwender, Kent, Findlay, Milne; Kyziridis, Baningime, Devline, Spittal; Shankland, Braga
Where to watch Celtic vs Hearts
- In the United Kingdom, live coverage will be available from Sky Sports with kick off at 12:30 local time / 13:30 CET / 07:30 ET / 04:30 PT.
- Fans in the United States hoping to catch the final day action can do so via the CBS Sports Network, Parmount+ or fuboTV.
Market insights and probability
As unlikely as it has looked at various points this season, especially when Hearts had a nine-point cushion in November, Celtic are now the market favourites to win the Scottish Premiership.
Market analysis suggests that the Bhoys have a 57% chance of winning the game and therefore the title. The visitors, meanwhile, have a 21% chance of winning and a 22% chance of drawing, giving them a combined chance of 43% to win the league. It looks set to be a tightly-contested battle with a high probability of both teams scoring and over 2.5 total goals in the match.
