Hoops Face Jambos Capital Quest

Hoops Face Jambos Capital Quest
~~~~~~ Official TC Match Preview ~~~~~~


September: Arne Engels scores his first Celtic goal in the 2-0 win against Hearts


Tynecastle Stadium, Edinburgh
Saturday, 23 November 2024
19.45 GMT

The Hoops return to action after the International break, looking to pick up where they left off when they travel to the Capital to take on Hearts, tomorrow evening.

This match marks the beginning of a hectic schedule for the Hoops, as they continue to progress across the various competitions, with no fewer than 14 fixtures to contend with over the next 7 weeks!

While Celtic will be full of confidence coming into this game and remain undefeated in the Premiership since March, it bears remembering that this run began after the last visit to Tynecastle, when the hosts won, 2-0.

Tynecastle has never been an easy away day for any visiting team, and that has proven to be undoubtedly true for the Hoops under Brendan Rodgers, with the manager having lost on 3 of his last 5 visits there. A fact he will keenly be looking to rectify.


Luke McCowan scored his first Celtic goal in the 2-0 win against Hearts earlier this season

Since the last time these sides met, Hearts have parted company with former manager Steven Naismith, with the club rooted at the foot of the ladder, and sitting on just 2 points.

Since his appointment last month, Neil Critchley has steadied the ship somewhat, with the Edinburgh club making further progress in the UEFA Conference League, and have successfully used that as a catalyst for improving their Premiership form, where they have subsequently picked up 7 points.

While there is much work to be done, that is clear evidence of the Edinburgh club beginning to move in the right direction.

Indeed, in their last match before the break, although they lost 1-0 to Sevco at Ipox, most observers would agree that Hearts comfortably contended with everything that the home side could muster against them, while knowing that they spurned a number of fantastic opportunities to take deservedly something from that game.

A big part of the difficulties that this weekend's hosts have had, is that much of their gameplay has been set up to create chances for Lawrence Shankland, but although chances have been created, the Scotland striker has recorded just 1 goal in 13 Premiership games so far, in drastic contrast to his prolific 2023/24 campaign.


By the Numbers​

• Celtic have won 12 of the past 14 meetings between these sides across all competitions - and 8 of the past 10 visits to Tynecastle.

• Since the last visit to Tynecastle, Celtic have lost only one game across all competitions, including remaining undefeated domestically.

• Brendan Rodgers will want to improve his personal Tynecastle record, where he has lost 3 of his past 5 visits.

• The Edinburgh outfit have kept just one clean sheet since the opening day of the Premiership season.

Canadian fullback Alistair Johnston has penned a contract extension until 2029

Team News

For Celtic, there are doubts concerning Adam Idah, and whether the striker will have fully overcome the knocks that ruled him out of Ireland duty this past fortnight, while Odin Thiago Holm (calf) remains out.

Despite the hectic fixture schedule that the Hoops are about to embark on, Rodgers will likely resist the temptation to make too many changes for this match.

As for the hosts, Calem Nieuwenhof, Yutaro Oda and Gerald Taylor remain sidelined until at least next month, while Critchley is likely to name a similar side to the one that overall performed fairly well in the 1-0 loss at Ipox before the International break.​

Referee: Steven McLean

Celtic’s recent form when McLean has held the whistle has been a little underwhelming, with just one win in the past four occasions, however this weekend will be his first time this current 2024/25 season.

Celtic's Overall Record
M:41 W:31 D:5 L:5

VAR: Greg Aitken



~~~~ Head to Head ~~~~

Overall
P: 337 W: 183 D: 75 L: 79​

Last 5 Meetings
W W L L W

~~~~ 2022/23 Form ~~~~

All Comps
W W W W W ~ L L W L D

SPFL
W W W D W ~ L W L D W ​