Celtic vs Hearts prediction, probable lineups, bet builder tips and odds for Scottish Premiership clash at Celtic Park. Find the betting angle here.
Celtic vs Hearts Match Summary
Competition | Scottish Premiership |
|---|---|
Match Date | Sunday 18 October 2026 |
Match Time | 15:00 UK time |
Venue (City, Stadium) | Celtic Park |
Broadcast (TV / Streaming / Radio / Bookmaker Streaming) | Sky Sports Football |
Celtic Park hosts Celtic vs Hearts on Sunday, top of the table against third, with both sides still nursing bruises from their European outings on Thursday night.
Martin O'Neill's side sit top of the Scottish Premiership on 21 points, and victory would take them eight clear of Hearts.
Wouter Vrancken's Hearts are third on 16 points and ruthless at Tynecastle, but they are still without a league win outside Edinburgh since January.
Goals tend to follow this fixture around. There have been 3+ goals scored in 5 of the last 5 meetings between Hearts and Celtic in the Premiership.
Celtic vs Hearts Form
Celtic bounced back at Fir Park, beating Motherwell through goals from Camilo Durán and Benjamin Nygren, and the league form has been outstanding, with just one defeat shading their past 15 Premiership matches. Europe is another story. Thursday's 4-1 battering by Benfica in Lisbon in the Europa League showed how open they can look against genuine quality.
Hearts have won their past 11 Premiership matches at Tynecastle, the latest a thumping of St Mirren. Josh McPake is the creative spark, directly involved in a goal in six of his past seven top-flight outings. In the UEFA Conference League, Oisin McEntee was on target in Thursday's draw with FC Nordsjælland.
Celtic vs Hearts Lineups & Team News
Injuries & Suspensions
Celtic: A. Johnston (Injured/out), Jota (Injured/out), C. Osmand (Doubtful)
Hearts: T. Renaud (Injured/out), C. Halkett (Doubtful), B. Spittal (Doubtful), Ageu (Doubtful)
Celtic
A. Johnston and Jota are out injured, while C. Osmand is a doubt. O'Neill rotated in Lisbon, pairing Auston Trusty with Dane Murray at centre-back and starting Oliver Sorensen ahead of Benjamin Nygren. The probable Celtic vs Hearts lineups point to Liam Scales, Carter-Vickers and Nygren coming back in, with Callum McGregor and Mika Baur holding the engine room.
Hearts
T. Renaud is injured, and C. Halkett, B. Spittal and Ageu are all doubts, with Ageu's return from injury proving short-lived on Thursday. Beau Reus stays in goal, Christian Borchgrevink came in for Jordi Altena at right-back, and McPake, Claudio Braga and Calvin Miller should again support James Wilson.
Celtic vs Hearts Predicted Lineup
Celtic
Formation: 4-2-3-1 (probable)
Predicted Starting Lineup: Sinisalo; Donovan, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Tierney; McGregor, Baur; Durán, Nygren, Tounekti; Høgh (probable)
Hearts
Formation: 4-2-3-1 (probable)
Predicted Starting Lineup: Reus; Borchgrevink, Fagan-Walcott, McCart, Milne; Mendy, McEntee; Miller, Braga, McPake; Wilson (probable)
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Celtic vs Hearts Key Stats & Match Facts
Hearts have scored 2+ goals in 3 out of 3 matches vs Celtic (Premiership).
Celtic have had 5+ shots on target in 8 out of 10 matches vs Hearts (Premiership).
Cláudio Braga has scored in 2 of his last 3 appearances vs Celtic (Premiership).
Daizen Maeda has scored or assisted in 3 of his last 4 appearances vs Hearts (Premiership).
Mika Baur has made 4+ tackles in 3 of his last 3 appearances (Premiership).
Celtic vs Hearts Prediction & Best Bets
Our prediction: Celtic 2-1 Hearts. Celtic are rightly favourites at 4/7 (Unibet). Their league form and the shot volume they produce at Celtic Park make them the side to side with. But Hearts carry enough attacking threat to make this messy, so our Celtic vs Hearts prediction is a home win with goals at both ends.
Best Bets
Over 2.5 goals in the Total Goals Over/Under market. Celtic's attack should drive goals against a Hearts side who are regularly involved in high-scoring games. Celtic have scored at least 2 goals in 18 of their last 21 home matches against Hearts in all competitions. Add in over 2.5 goals landing in 9 of Hearts' last 10 Premiership games and the overs look the right side of the line.
Both Teams To Score: Yes. Hearts have shown they can score, and Celtic are likely to find the net as well. Hearts' whole game is built around finishing their chances, and they have scored freely in recent weeks. Celtic's defensive record against this opponent is shakier than the table suggests, which points to goals at both ends again.
Celtic vs Hearts Bet Builder
Our Celtic vs Hearts bet builder tips are built on Celtic's volume: Durán over 1.5 shots on target and over 2.5 shots, a Celtic win and over 6.5 Celtic corners.
Camilo Durán over 1.5 shots on target: he has hit that mark in five of his past seven top-flight appearances, and Celtic look for him constantly.
Celtic to win: they have had 7+ shots on target in six of their past seven league outings, and that kind of pressure tends to tell at home.
Over 6.5 total home corners: Celtic have forced 8+ corners in each of their past five league matches, with attacking down the wings a core strength.
Durán over 2.5 shots: he's been directly involved in a goal in five of those same seven games, and a player that involved in the final third rarely goes quiet.
At the time of writing, this bet builder pays a best price of 5/1 and is as short as 15/4 elsewhere.
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Bet builder odds correct at time of publishing.
Celtic vs Hearts Talking Points
Martin O'Neill has been generous about Hearts this week, pointing to Tony Bloom's investment and the club's data work with Jamestown Analytics. Fine words, but structure has to survive a heavy workload, and Vrancken's side are juggling nine matches in 30 days across the league and Europe. The Celtic vs Hearts betting odds make the hosts clear favourites, and rightly so. Even so, Celtic's soft spot is stopping opponents creating openings, and that is exactly where Braga and McPake can hurt them. Expect an open, messy afternoon rather than a stubborn one.
Celtic vs Hearts Predictions FAQs
When is Celtic vs Hearts?
Celtic vs Hearts kicks off at 15:00 UK time on Sunday 18 October 2026.
Where is Celtic vs Hearts being played?
Celtic vs Hearts is being played at Celtic Park.
Where can I watch Celtic vs Hearts?
Celtic vs Hearts is listed on Sky Sports Football in the UK.
What competition is Celtic vs Hearts in?
Celtic vs Hearts is in the Scottish Premiership, 2026/2027 season.
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