Kick-off: 2000, 31/07/2021
Stadium: Tynecastle
TV: Sky Sports Football
Celtic can put a heart-breaking Champions League exit behind them to start their Scottish Premiership campaign with a win at Hearts.
The Jambos easily earned promotion from the Championship and have done well in the Premier Sports Cup, with former Hoops keeper Craig Gordon on a run of 11 straight clean sheets.
This is a tough return to top-flight football, though, so 31/20 for an away win and under 3.5 goals is our first Hearts vs Celtic prediction.
A Look At Hearts’ Betting Odds
Hearts finished 12 points clear of Dundee at the top of the Championship table last term and targeted quality over quantity with regards extra reinforcements.
Midfielder Josh Ginnelly has come in from Preston, Brighton defender Alex Cochrane arrives on loan and ex-Everton squad member Beni Baningime looks a useful recruit.
Manager Robbie Neilson said: “We are still working away, we still have areas we need to work on.
“But we waited to try and get a player of Beni’s calibre and managed to do that – and will continue to do that for the other guys.”
Peterhead, Cove Rangers, Stirling and Inverness have been beaten by a combined score of 8-0 in the cup.
“We had a really good Premier Sports Cup run, we had a really good run at the end of last season,” added Neilson. “So we are confident going into this game and hoping to win it.”
This could be close for a while but we’re going with 18/5 for Draw HT/Celtic FT from the Hearts vs Celtic odds.
A Look At Celtic’s Betting Odds
Celtic must pick themselves up from Wednesday’s 2-1 extra-time loss to Midtjylland which saw them edged out 3-2 on aggregate.
The Hoops had 18-year-old Dane Murray making his first start for the club alongside 21-year-old Stephen Welsh in central defence in Denmark.
However, Sweden international Carl Starfelt is now free to step in after coming through quarantine following a move from Rubin Kazan.
Trailing Rangers by 25 points last season was a humbling experience as the Bhoys were emphatically denied a 10th straight title.
New boss Ange Postecoglou is at the start of a major rebuild but there is little leeway for settling in with supporters desperate to reclaim top spot.
He commented: “We have a very important game on Saturday, we want to start our league campaign in a strong manner.”
Ryan Christie opened the scoring when these sides met in December’s delayed 2020 Scottish Cup final, which the Hoops eventually won on penalties.
Punters can get 14/5 for the midfielder to score in an away victory at Tynecastle and that completes our Hearts vs Celtic betting tips.
Additional stats
Last result:
HEARTS 1-0 Inverness – Jamie Walker
Midtjylland 2-1 CELTIC – Callum McGregor
Head-to-head: Celtic 3-3 Hearts, Celtic 5-0 Hearts, Hearts 0-2 Celtic, Celtic 3-1 Hearts
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