Premiership · Matchday 9 
Celtic v Hearts: Top of the Table Meets Third Place at Celtic Park
Celtic and Hearts meet on Sunday with first and third place in the Premiership on the line. Hearts arrive with the sharper recent scoring record, while Celtic have the stronger defence.
📍 Celtic Park
Match facts
Recent form
Last 5 league games, latest on the right
Goals per game
| Scored | Conceded | |
|---|---|---|
| Celtic | 2.0 | 0.5 |
| Heart Of Midlothian | 2.4 | 1.0 |
League position
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celtic | 8 | +12 | 21 |
| 3 | Heart Of Midlothian | 8 | +11 | 16 |
Last meetings
- 2026Celtic3-1Heart Of Midlothian
- 2026Heart Of Midlothian2-2Celtic
- 2025Celtic1-2Heart Of Midlothian
- 2025Heart Of Midlothian3-1Celtic
- 2025Celtic3-0Heart Of Midlothian
Hearts have scored more goals than Celtic over their last five matches, 12 to 8, and that attacking edge is the storyline heading into this ninth-round Premiership meeting at Celtic Park on Sunday.
Top of the table on the line
Celtic lead the league on 21 points from eight games, with a goal difference of +12. Hearts sit third on 16 points, one point behind nothing but level on goal difference in spirit, with +11 from the same number of matches. Only a few points separate the two sides in a 12-team division, so a win here would do far more than settle a head-to-head. It would tighten the race at the top and send a clear message to the chasing pack.
Form: Hearts’ attack against Celtic’s back line
Celtic are unbeaten in their last five league outings apart from a single defeat in their last eight at home, and their home form string of WWWWWWLW reflects a side that rarely concedes. Across the season they have let in just four goals in eight matches, and they have kept a clean sheet in half of them.
Hearts have built their season around scoring. They have found the net 19 times in eight games, and their away form of LWWWWLDW shows a team that has rarely been shut out on the road. The recent numbers point to a contest between the Celtic defence, which has conceded only two goals in its last five, and a Hearts attack that has averaged 2.4 goals per game.
Head-to-head: a close and unpredictable rivalry
The last five meetings have been tight. Celtic won 3-1 in May and 3-0 in March 2025, while Hearts took both of their recent victories, 2-1 in December and 3-1 in October. The other meeting in January finished 2-2. Hearts have the more recent wins in this run of fixtures, but Celtic have been the stronger side at Celtic Park.
Our prediction
Celtic 2-1 Hearts. Celtic’s defensive consistency and home record should be enough to edge a tight game, but Hearts’ scoring form means they will punish any lapse. Expect a match that is decided by a single goal and that keeps Celtic at the top of the table.