Celtic vs Heart Of Midlothian
Match recap
Celtic beat Heart Of Midlothian 3–1 in their Premiership fixture. Engels, Maeda, and Osmand scored for Celtic; Shankland replied for Heart Of Midlothian. Expected-goals data put the chance balance at 2.82 for Celtic versus 0.96 for Heart Of Midlothian. Celtic sit 3rd in the Premiership table while Heart Of Midlothian are 1st.
Fipster’s pre-match call
Predicted
1-1 Draw
Actual
3–1
Analysis
The upcoming Scottish Championship Group match between Celtic and Heart Of Midlothian promises a competitive showdown. Both teams have shown strong form this season, making a draw a likely outcome.
Celtic, playing at home, have a strong historical record against Hearts, winning 15 of their last 20 meetings. Hearts currently lead the league standings with 70 points, just ahead of Celtic's 67, highlighting the tight competition between these two sides.
Key players like Celtic's D. Maeda, who boasts 14 goals this season with a recent hot streak, and Hearts' L. Shankland, their top scorer with 16 goals, will be pivotal. Defensive stalwarts such as Hearts' C. Devlin could disrupt Celtic's midfield creativity, while K. Tierney's dual role for Celtic offers both defensive solidity and attacking threat.
Prediction
Given the balanced form and strong individual performances on both sides, a 1-1 draw is the most probable result. The match is expected to be tightly contested with a modest total of four cards, reflecting disciplined play.
Outcome probability
Key Insights
Maeda's Form vs Hearts' Defense
Maeda's recent scoring spree exploits Hearts' average defensive conceding rate, making him a key threat.
Tierney's Dual Role Impact
Tierney excels both defensively and offensively, providing assists and goals above league average for defenders.
Hearts' Shankland Consistency
Shankland's steady goal scoring and high minutes played indicate he will be pivotal for Hearts' attack.
Devlin's Defensive Disruption
Devlin's high tackle and interception rates could limit Celtic's midfield creativity, impacting their build-up.
Full Strength Squads Expected
No reported injuries or suspensions for key players, both teams likely field strongest lineups.
Key Takeaways
In summary, fans should brace for a competitive and evenly matched game where neither side dominates, culminating in a fair share of points for both Celtic and Hearts.
- Celtic have won 15 of the last 20 meetings against Hearts.
- The average goals per match in their head-to-head is 3.5.
- Hearts lead the league with 70 points; Celtic are close behind with 67.
- D. Maeda is Celtic's top scorer with 14 goals this season.
- L. Shankland leads Hearts with 16 goals.
- K. Tierney provides both defensive strength and attacking assists for Celtic.
- C. Devlin is a key defensive midfielder for Hearts with high tackle and interception stats.
- The predicted total cards for the match is four, indicating a relatively disciplined game.
Player Insights
Standout players Fipster expects to impact the match — curated highlights, not full squad lists
Home — Celtic
Away — Heart Of Midlothian
No standout top scorers flagged for Heart Of Midlothian
Form as the teams went into this match — excludes this result and anything since.
Team Comparison
Season shape — attack, defence, form, clean sheets & win rate
Home vs Away comparison
Goal difference in each of the last few fixtures — above the line is a net win, below is a net loss
Season comparison
Goals scored & conceded, goal difference and clean sheets across the season
Halftime Performance
What each side does once the whistle goes for half time
Streaks
Recent-form runs — each side’s most-recent game meets in the middle
Head to Head
Johnston
Yellow Card
Steinwender
Yellow Card
Shankland
Assist: Kingsley
Engels
Penalty
Tounekti
Altena
Baningime
Nygren
Yellow Card
Trusty
Yellow Card
Yang Hyun-Jun
Kyziridis
Kabore
Milne
Trusty
Tierney
Devlin
Yellow Card
Maeda
Assist: Osmand
Goal confirmed
Saracchi
Yellow Card
Shankland
Yellow Card
Maeda
Yellow Card
McGregor
Yellow Card
Osmand
Assist: McGregor
Nygren
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Heart Of Midlothian | 33 | 21 | 7 | 5 | +30 | 70 |
| 2 |  Rangers | 33 | 19 | 12 | 2 | +35 | 69 |
| 3 |  Celtic | 33 | 21 | 4 | 8 | +24 | 67 |
| 4 |  Motherwell | 33 | 14 | 12 | 7 | +23 | 54 |
Match Statistics
Celtic
4-2-3-1Starting XI
- 2A. JohnstonD
- 5L. ScalesD
- 6A. TrustyD
- 8B. NygrenM
- 12V. SinisaloG
- 13Yang Hyun-JunM
- 23S. TounektiM
- 27A. EngelsM
- 38D. MaedaF
- 42C. McGregorM
- 63K. TierneyD
Substitutes
- 14L. McCowanM
- 17K. ỊheanachọF
- 19C. OsmandF
- 21A. Oxlade-ChamberlainM
- 31R. DoohanG
- 36M. SaracchiD
- 47D. MurrayD
- 49J. ForrestM
- 56A. RalstonD
Heart Of Midlothian
4-4-2Starting XI
- 3S. KingsleyD
- 6B. BaningimeM
- 9L. ShanklandF
- 11P. KaboreF
- 14C. DevlinM
- 15M. SteinwenderD
- 18H. MilneD
- 19S. FindlayD
- 23J. AltenaM
- 25A. SchwolowG
- 89A. KyziridisM
Substitutes
- 2F. KentD
- 5J. McCartD
- 10Cláudio BragaF
- 12C. BorchgrevinkD
- 16B. SpittalM
- 17A. ForrestF
- 29S. KerjotaF
- 30R. FultonG
- 99I. ChesnokovM
Celtic
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liam Scales | D | 90 | 7.7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Arne Engels | M | 90 | 7.7 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | 2 | — |
| Daizen Maeda | F | 90 | 7.6 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1/2 |
| Auston Trusty | D | 73 | 7.2 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| Viljami Sinisalo | G | 90 | 6.7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Kieran Tierney | D | 73 | 6.6 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Alistair Johnston | D | 90 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2/2 |
| Sebastian Tounekti | M | 45 | 6.3 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1/3 |
| Callum McGregor(C) | M | 90 | 6.2 | — | 1 | — | — | 2 | 0/2 |
| Yang Hyun-Jun | M | 62 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1/3 |
| Benjamin Nygren | M | 89 | 6.2 | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | 1/1 |
| Substitutes | |||||||||
| Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tony Ralston | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ross Doohan | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Luke McCowan | M | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Callum Osmand | F | 17 | 8.7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0/1 |
| Marcelo Saracchi | D | 17 | 7.0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Dane Murray | D | 8 | 6.9 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| James Forrest | M | 28 | 6.9 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1/4 |
| Kelechi Iheanacho | F | 45 | 6.7 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1/1 |
Heart Of Midlothian
| Player | Pos | Min | Rating | G | A | Shots | SoT | Key Passes | Dribbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Shankland(C) | F | 90 | 7.2 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1/1 |
| Harry Milne | D | 68 | 6.9 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1/1 |
| Stephen Kingsley | D | 90 | 6.6 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 3 | — |
| Alexandros Kyziridis | M | 67 | 6.5 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1/2 |
| Alexander Schwolow | G | 90 | 6.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pierre Landry Kaboré | F | 68 | 6.3 | — | — | 2 | — | — | 1/2 |
| Jordi Altena | M | 47 | 6.3 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| Michael Steinwender | D | 90 | 6.2 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| Beni Baningime | M | 51 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Cameron Devlin | M | 90 | 6.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Stuart Findlay | D | 90 | 5.9 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Substitutes | |||||||||
| Ryan Fulton | G | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jamie McCart | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Christian Borchgrevink | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sabah Kerjota | F | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Islam Chesnokov | M | 22 | 6.7 | — | — | — | — | — | 2/2 |
| Blair Spittal | M | 39 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Frankie Kent | D | 43 | 6.5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Alan Forrest | F | 23 | 6.3 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| Cláudio Braga | F | 22 | 6.3 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 0/1 |