Celtic may have won seven of their first eight matches in the Scottish Premiership this season but the pressure will be on Martin O'Neill and his side when they welcome Hearts to Parkhead on Sunday.
The Bhoys have lost four of their last five matches in all competitions, twice going down to Rangers, once in the Premiership and once in the League Cup, while also suffering damaging losses to Ferencvaros and Benfica in the Europa League.
The manner of Thursday's 4-1 loss to Benfica was particularly concerning for O'Neill, who must now dust his side down for this crunch clash with a resurgent Hearts.
Wouter Vrancken's visitors have only lost one of their last 13 matches across all competitions and can move to within two points of Celtic with a victory in Glasgow.
Hearts will certainly have plenty of motivation to get one over their hosts, as this will be the first meeting between the sides since Celtic's dramatic 3-1 victory on the final day of last season when they snatched the title from under the noses of the Jambos.
Celtic v Hearts Tips Summary
Best Bet - Over 3.5 goals @ 13/10
Alternative Bet - Josh McPake to score or assist @ 15/8
Bet Builder - Draw or Hearts double chance, Claudio Braga 3+ shots & Benjamin Nygren to score or assist @ 19/2
Celtic v Hearts Prediction
Best Bet: Over 3.5 goals @ 13/10
Celtic have brushed aside the majority of their opponents in the Scottish Premiership this season, conceding just four goals in eight games, but they have tended to falter when they have faced teams of a similar level to Hearts.
The Bhoys conceded four in their two defeats to Rangers, shipped three against Ferencvaros, four in Thursday's loss at Benfica and five in the second leg of their infamous defeat to LASK in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League qualifier.
That defensive record does not make for good reading, especially as Hearts came into this weekend as the Premiership's leading scorers with 19 in eight games.
The Jambos put five past St Mirren last weekend and they have scored in each of their last 15 matches across all competitions, a sequence that also includes putting four past Dundee United in the league and six on Inverness CT in the league cup.
With each of the last six meetings between these sides featuring at least three goals - four of which have gone beyond that mark - another Glasgow goalfest could well be on the cards.
Alternative Bet: Josh McPake to score or assist @ 15/8
After rejuvenating his career at St Johnstone, Josh McPake has reached even greater levels since joining Hearts in the summer.
No player has registered more goal involvements than the 25-year-old winger in this season's Premiership, as he added his third goal of the season against St Mirren last weekend to go alongside his four assists.
Having also caught the eye when making his senior Scotland debut during the recent international break, McPake is flying at the moment and having a major say at Parkhead would taste extra sweet for the former Rangers youngster.
Celtic v Hearts Bet Builder Tip
Draw or Hearts double chance
Claudio Braga 3+ shots
Benjamin Nygren to score or assist
Pays 19/2
Given Celtic's recent wobbles and Hearts' own return to form, the visitors have every chance of returning to Edinburgh with at least a point.
Despite losing at Parkhead when it mattered most at the end of last season, Hearts still took seven points off Celtic in 2025/26, the most a team other than Rangers has picked up against the Bhoys in a single campaign for 26 years.
Jambos forward Claudio Braga scored in two of those meetings and he should have plenty of attempts on goal, as heading into the weekend no player had had more shots in this season's Premiership than the Portuguese's total of 32.
At the other end, Celtic's Benjamin Nygren has matched McPake for seven goal involvements, including his strike in last weekend's win at Motherwell.
Nygren was also limited to a substitute's role at Benfica in the week and given the poor display Celtic produced in Lisbon, there is little doubt that the Swede will return to the starting XI on Sunday.
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Key Match Stats
Celtic have lost four of their last five matches in all competitions
The Bhoys have conceded 16 goals across their five defeats this season
Hearts have lost only one of their last 13 matches
The Jambos have scored in each of their last 15 games
Josh McPake has seven goal involvements in the Premiership since joining Hearts
This will be the first meeting between the teams since Celtic snatched the title from Hearts on the final day of last season
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
