Celtic - Heart of Midlothian
Celtic look to bounce back against high-flying Hearts
Celtic face a stern test of character as they look to recover from a difficult European outing when they host Heart of Midlothian at Celtic Park on 18 October 2026 for matchday 9 of the Premiership. The hosts are navigating a period of inconsistency and will be forced to reshuffle their defensive line with Cameron Carter-Vickers sidelined through injury. The expected XI, featuring Kasper Waarts Hoegh and Sebastian Tounekti, must find the clinical edge that secured a recent 2-0 victory over Motherwell if they are to overcome the visitors.
Heart of Midlothian arrive in fine domestic form, underlined by a commanding 5-0 win over St. Mirren earlier this month. While their recent Conference League draw against FC Nordsjaelland shows they are difficult to break down, the visitors will look to exploit Celtic's defensive gaps. History remains competitive between these two, with their most recent encounter ending in a 3-1 victory for Celtic back in May.
