Celtic vs Hearts: Betting Odds & Prediction

Celtic look to maintain their lead at the top of the table when they host third-placed Hearts on Saturday afternoon.

The home side sit three points above bitter rivals Rangers, who welcome Kilmarnock to Ibrox Stadium the following day.

Both teams have already faced-off on three occasions this season, with Hearts taking the most recent two with 2-0 wins after Celtic emerged 4-1 victors from their initial encounter. Kick-off is set for 3pm UK time at Celtic Park.

Recent Form

Celtic

Brendan Rodgers' men have been near faultless since their 2-0 loss to Hearts at the start of March. They haven't lost a match since, with the only slight blemish being a 3-3 draw at Ibrox earlier this month. The run leaves them three points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership, with only three matches remaining after this weekend.

Only Rangers boast a better home record than Celtic, who have averaged 2.44 points across 16 home outings so far. They've won 12 of these, with only one ending in defeat. Rodgers' side are also the division's highest-scoring team with 82 goals, while only Rangers better the 27 goals they've conceded up until this point.

Games at Celtic Park have seen plenty of action this term, averaging 3.38 goals in total. Eight of Celtic's home fixtures have seen them score three or more times.

Hearts

The away side have also been in good form. Undefeated in their last four, Hearts have also taken four points from their last two away fixtures. Two of their last five on the road have ended in defeat though, but Steven Naismith's side will be buoyed by their 2-0 victory at Celtic Park in December.

Hearts look set for a spot in next season's Europa League barring an almighty collapse in their remaining four fixtures. Only the division's top two better the 1.82 points averaged across their 17 away matches.

18 away goals conceded is also the third-best in the league, and has led to clean sheets in seven games on their travels. Hearts have also scored four goals without conceding in their last two meetings with their opponents on Saturday.

They've not managed to shutout an opponent since their victory over Celtic on March 3rd, though.

Prediction

Celtic rightly enter the match firm favourites (1/4) given their recent form as they remain on course for a 54th Scottish Premiership title. They've also been rampant in front of their home fans this season, and have netted an astonishing 13 goals in their last three home outings.

OddsNow back the home side to continue their superb scoring record on Saturday afternoon.

OddsNow's Picks: Over 3.5+ goals scored (21/20 @ BoyleSports); Celtic to score 2.5+ goals (9/10 @ Betfair)