Hearts vs Celtic Prediction: Hearts are in need of this match

If Celtic beat Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday, they will win the Scottish title for the 53rd time. Hearts, however, will hope to halt Celtic's title celebrations and attempt to improve on their stunning 6-1 rout of Ross County in their most recent match.

Hearts - can not afford to lose

Following a convincing win over Ross County two weeks ago, the Hearts are feeling optimistic heading into this matchup after a run of winless streaks. The Jam Tarts completely dominated the Staggies, scoring 30 shots and holding 64% of the game's possession while Josh Ginnelly scored twice and Lawrence Shankland scored a hat trick. Only Celtic's Kyogo Furuhashi has scored more goals in Scotland's Premiership this season (2022–23) than Shankland's 21 goals through 32 games this season, nearly 40% of his team's league goals. Hearts' recent struggles have seen them lose seven of their previous 10 league games under interim manager Steven Naismith, who replaced Robbie Neilson at Tynecastle last month. Naismith has good reason to be upbeat about his team's chances against Celtic, since Hearts have won three of their last four home league matches and seven of their previous nine.

Celtic - Celtic to extend perfect run

Celtic's 17-game winning streak came to an end as Ange Postecoglou's team closed the first half of the Scottish Premiership season with a shocking 1-1 draw against Motherwell. However, the Bhoys quickly recovered, defeating Rangers 1-0 in the Scottish Cup semi-finals to keep alive hopes of a domestic treble. Celtic have been nearly unbeatable in the Premiership this season, winning 30 of their 33 matches to put themselves 13 points ahead of Rangers with five matches remaining. Postecoglou's squad leads the league with 103 goals scored and has the best defensive record with only 25 goals allowed. They average more than three goals per game. Celtic will be eager to grab the trophy as soon as possible as they attempt to win their 11th Scottish Premiership title in 12 years.

Head-Head Statistics

Hearts and Celtic have faced each other 69 times throughout the course of the last few seasons, with Celtic coming out on top 52 times. Seven games had a scoreless result. In head-to-head matchups, Hearts scored 59 goals while Celtic scored 165.

Expert Betting Tips

We anticipate Hearts putting forth yet another impressive performance in this match, as we believe they will do everything in their power to avoid losing. In the meantime, Celtic are also on a strong run and will be looking to extend their current streak of games without a loss. As we do not anticipate this to be a match without a goal, a wager on both teams scoring and the game ending in a tie might be considered.