Back
Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic will take on third-placed Hearts at Celtic Park on Sunday afternoon.
The hosts are top of the standings with 21 points heading into matchday nine, while the visitors are third with 16 points from eight league games.
Celtic may sit at the top of the Scottish Premiership standings, but it has been far from smooth sailing for Martin O'Neill's side this season.
The Bhoys have lost five of their 14 games across all competitions, including four of their last five matches heading into Sunday's clash with Hearts.
O'Neill was already facing scrutiny after his side squandered a 4-0 lead to lose 5-4 on aggregate to LASK Linz in the Champions League playoff qualifying round, and the pressure on the manager has only increased after recent results.
The Bhoys did initially bounce back with four straight wins in the league, but they have since lost 3-0 to Rangers in the Scottish League Cup, 1-0 to the Gers in the league and suffered defeats to Ferencvaros (3-1) and Benfica (4-1) in their first two Europa League league phase matches.
Celtic's only victory during that run came against Motherwell on October 11, which ensured they remained top of the standings and two points ahead of second-placed Rangers.
O'Neill will be relying on Celtic's formidable Scottish Premiership form to continue on Sunday, with the Bhoys winning seven of their eight league matches, scoring 16 and conceding just four goals in that time.
However, confidence will certainly be low after their series of recent defeats, including the humiliating 4-1 loss to Benfica in midweek.
Hearts, meanwhile, head into Sunday's encounter undefeated in their last three matches across all competitions, recording a draw and win in the league and a 1-1 draw with Nordsjaelland in the Conference League's opening matchday.
The Jambos have actually enjoyed a superb run since their initially challenging start to the campaign, which saw new boss Wouter Vrancken lose all of his first four matches at the helm.
A 4-0 triumph against Dundee United on the Scottish Premiership's second matchday eventually sparked Hearts into life, with the Jambos embarking on a run of just one defeat in 13 games.
Hearts have been particularly potent going forward, scoring a league-high 19 goals in eight matches, with the new-look front four of James Wilson, Claudio Braga, Josh McPake and Calvin Miller accounting for 12 between them.
Although Celtic boast the best defensive record in the league, conceding just four goals, Hearts' forward players will draw confidence from the hosts' leaky backline in their recent run, as the Bhoys have conceded 11 goals in the last five outings.
Hearts also had the better of this fixture last season, winning two, drawing one and losing one of their four encounters - albeit the sole defeat saw Celtic clinch the title on the final day of the campaign.
Celtic Scottish Premiership form:
Celtic form (all competitions):
Hearts Scottish Premiership form:
Hearts form (all competitions):
Celtic will be without Cameron Carter-Vickers, Alistair Johnston and Yang Hyun-Jun until later this month due to injury issues.
After the miserable 4-1 defeat to Benfica in midweek, O'Neill is likely to make several changes in search of a response on Sunday, although goalscorer Camilo Duran should certainly keep his place in attack.
Meanwhile, Hearts will be unable to call upon Blair Spittal, Craig Halkett and Tom Renaud due to injury problems.
Hearts' dangerous front four of Wilson, McPake, Braga and Miller should start once again, with Laurent Mendy and Ageu likely to provide support from midfield.
Celtic possible starting lineup:
Sinisalo; Donovan, Murray, Scales, Tierney; McGregor, Baur; Duran, Nygren, Tounekti; Hogh
Hearts possible starting lineup:
Reus; Altena, Fagan-Walcott, McCart, Milne; Ageu, Mendy; Miller, Braga, McPake; Wilson
Celtic may be enduring a miserable run of results, but the Bhoys remain strong in the league and will fancy their chances against a Hearts side with one win from four away league fixtures.
However, Hearts' dangerous attack will cause problems to Celtic's defence, which has conceded several goals in recent matches, and with that in mind, we are predicting a score draw.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Back
Top
| Privacy Statement Terms of Service Contact |
Refresh
|
All the best breaking news stories from Apex Football Lite. Optimised for feature phones and low end Android devices, Apex Football Lite helps users with legacy devices and poor network connectivity access the latest football news and live scores. Particularly relevant for breaking football news in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.