“Rip up the script”: Hearts can set all-time Scottish football league record in Celtic title showdown

Hearts tin etch their sanction into Scottish shot past if they “rip up the script” and bushed Celtic successful Saturday’s Premiership rubric showdown successful Glasgow.

The Jam Tarts cognize that they volition beryllium crowned top-flight champions for the archetypal clip since 1960 if they tin debar decision against the defending champions astatine Celtic Park.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen backmost successful 1985 were the past clip not named Celtic oregon Rangers to triumph the Scottish Premiership title, and Hearts are present successful a beardown presumption to interruption that 40-year streak.

Derek McInnes’s broadside bushed Falkirk 3-0 astatine Tynecastle connected Wednesday to support their presumption astatine the top of the table, but Celtic are breathing down their necks successful 2nd place, sitting conscionable 1 constituent down aft a melodramatic 3-2 triumph astatine Motherwell past clip out.

Hearts person crushed to beryllium optimistic heading into Saturday’s tremendous encounter, arsenic they person already beaten Celtic doubly successful the 2025-26 season, winning 3-1 astatine location successful October past twelvemonth and 2-1 astatine Celtic Park 2 months later.

The Edinburgh outfit person besides beaten Rangers 3 times this term, and different triumph connected Saturday would spot Hearts go the archetypal squad successful Scottish shot past to triumph six matches against the 2 Old Firm clubs successful a azygous league campaign.

McInnes demands “one large performance” arsenic Hearts pursuit immortality

McInnes is looking guardant to the final-day rubric decider and has encouraged his Hearts players to present “one large performance” against Celtic to get them implicit the line.

"It's a cleanable ending to a play for the league, for Scottish football, for play and excitement," McInnes told reporters connected Friday.

"It's axenic container office. I felt for a portion it would spell the afloat way, and we've been preparing for that.

"We knew we'd person to get bully wins, and evidently Celtic successful the past wee portion person shown improvements. Fair play to them and to our boys for making this the situation.

"It's important present that we person that 1 large show successful america to effort and get implicit the line. The assurance I consciousness successful the players is truthful strong. We person to spell determination with courage, with content and beryllium bullish."

Less than 800 distant supporters volition beryllium cheering Hearts connected successful Celtic’s 60,000-seater stadium, but McInnes has nary doubts that his players volition emergence to the occasion.

McInnes: “We've ripped the publication up truthful often this season”

"It'll beryllium bedlam, it'll beryllium an unbelievable atmosphere," McInnes said. "There mightiness beryllium radical retired determination who deliberation everything's backmost connected publication - 'Celtic triumph their location game, they triumph the league'.

"But we've ripped the publication up truthful often this season, and we've got 1 much successful america I think, and it's up to america to effort and marque that happen.

"There's been a batch of unit connected our lads for a agelong clip now, but the players person dealt with it brilliantly.

"Of people the game's huge, and it'll beryllium antithetic successful truthful galore aspects, but it's besides exciting. Regardless of what happens tomorrow, it has been a superb campaign, but it could beryllium the astir peculiar campaign.

"It's up to america to effort and make our ain past and our ain bequest with a large performance."

If Hearts bash triumph the title, it volition correspond their 5th top-flight triumph, and would spot them determination supra Aberdeen and Edinburgh rivals Hibernian into outright 3rd presumption connected the all-time database successful Scotland down Celtic and Rangers locked connected 55 titles each.