Hearts v Celtic: Prediction, Tips and Odds

This Saturday evening Hearts host Celtic at Tynecastle in a clash that could have major implications at both ends of the Scottish Premiership.

Table-toppers Celtic still cannot shake Aberdeen off their tail and enter the 12th round of fixtures level on points with the Pittodrie club.

Hearts, languishing in 11th place with just nine points from 13 matches, have pinned their hopes on new head coach Neil Critchley as they look to pull away from the relegation zone.

The Jambos will take heart from the fact that they were the last team to beat Celtic in the Premiership when, back in March, they ended a sequence of five successive home defeats against the Glasgow giants.

Hearts v Celtic betting tips and predictions

Celtic to win to nil - 6/4

The Hoops have been formidable on the road this season, winning all six of their away matches in the Premiership, conceding just one goal in the process. 

Their defensive unit, which looks likely to be bolstered by the return of Cameron Carter-Vickers, has kept seven clean sheets in the 10 away Premiership trips since that last defeat at Tynecastle.

That game was one of just four domestic losses Carter-Vickers has experienced in his three-and-a-half years with the club, totalling 110 appearances.

Celtic will be desperate to avenge the one blemish on their Premiership record this year and should have far too mush firepower and defensive guile for the hosts.

Hearts have struggled offensively, managing only 14 goals in 13 league matches. A failure to score in all three encounters against Old Firm clubs this season highlights their current plight up front.

The usually dependable Lawrence Shankland has scored just one goal in 18 appearances in all competitions this term and looks a shadow of the player who bagged 24 Premiership goals in each of the past two campaigns.

Under new boss Critchley the Jambos are still searching for consistency and creativity in the final third and look likely to come up short against the division’s strongest rearguard.

Kyogo Furuhashi to score anytime - 21/20

Nicolas Kuhn, Celtic’s January signing from Rapid Vienna, has been grabbing the goals and the headlines lately.

The German’s four-goal scoring spree in the Hoops' last three matches has powered Brendan Rodgers’ side past Aberdeen, RB Leipzig and Kilmarnock.

But Kuhn’s career stats reveal a player who rarely gets more than a handful of goals in any season.

He may be best left alone in anytime goalscorer betting for now with fan favourite Kyogo Furuhashi the Celtic star to side with this weekend.

The Japanese striker, who returned from the international wilderness to play in Japan’s 3-1 win over China this week, has an impressive scoring record against Hearts.

Furuhashi has scored 10 goals in 13 career appearances against the Jambos and is in pretty good form himself.

The 29-year-old has scored four goals in his last eight Premiership appearances.

Celtic to win 3-0 - 17/2

The last meeting between these sides saw Celtic secure a comfortable 2-0 win at Celtic Park, with Arne Engels converting a penalty and Luke McCowan adding another. 

Rodgers’ side enjoyed 70% possession and rattled off 18 shots to Hearts’ seven in a win that could have been more comfortable if Celtic had taken their chances.

The Jambos have not conceded more than two goals at home so far this season, but the level of opponent that has been to Tynecastle goes up this weekend.

Celtic have won their six away games by a combined score of 18-1 this term and look capable of coming away from Edinburgh with a 3-0 victory.

Goal difference is keeping them above Aberdeen at the top and they are unlikely to miss an opportunity to extend that advantage against a struggling side.

Hearts' home record of one win, two draws, and two losses in five Premiership matches speaks for itself.

Their top scorers - James Wilson, Frankie Kent, Kenneth Vargas and Blair Spittal - have managed just two goals each this season.

It is hard to imagine them, or the out-of-form Shankland, threatening Celtic’s watertight defence enough to get a goal.

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Hearts v Celtic odds

Hearts - 13/2
Draw - 15/4
Celtic - 19/50

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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.