CELTIC will look to take another step closer to retaining their Scottish Premiership crown when they welcome Heart of Midlothian to Parkhead on Wednesday night.
Seven days after lifting the Scottish League Cup, the Bhoys roared back from an early setback to steamroll 10-man St Mirren in a 5-1 romp to victory on Sunday.
In doing so, Ange Postecoglou's side restored their nine-point lead over Rangers at the top of the table, not to mention they added to their vastly superior goal difference to that of their Old Firm rivals.
As we enter the final throes of the 2022/23 campaign, Celtic will look to put another three points on the board when Hearts come calling this midweek.
Last time out, Robbie Neilson's side made a return to winning ways as they eased to a 3-0 win over St Johnstone, justifying my faith in the Jambos to put a couple of goals past the Perth Saints.
That win keeps Hearts five points clear of arch-rivals Hibernian in third place, with the the men in maroon now gearing up to face Celtic twice in a matter of days.
Outright Betting
Celtic, who have already beaten Hearts twice this season, head into this fixture as heavily-fancied 2/9 favourites with Ladbrokes.
Hearts are without a win in their last three Scottish top-flight road trips and the bookies' unsurprisingly expect that trend to continue, with the visitors 13/1 (PaddyPower) underdogs while the draw is also deemed unlikely at 13/2 (Bet 365).
Betting Angles
Backing the hosts to prevail at such a short price is a non-starter so I'll instead side with Celtic to Score 2+ Goals; Celtic 5+ Corners & Hearts 2+ Cards at 4/5 with PaddyPower.
Celtic have posted a perfect 13 wins from 13 at Parkhead in the Scottish Premiership this season, one of which came against Hearts back in August.
What's more, Bhoys boss Ange Postecoglou has not tasted defeat on home turf in a league game since checking in at Celtic Park, having triumphed in a whopping 28 of his 29 home games to date.
As such, I'm more than happy to division's deadliest attack to rack up another couple of goals here, but to bump up the price, I'll also go with a minimum of five Celtic corners.
The high-octane Hoops are averaging a joint league-high 7.37 corners per-game in the Scottish Premiership this season, a tally that marginally increases when operating at their Parkhead base.
With the hosts likely to dictate the tempo of the game, and Hearts looking to contain and counter where possible, I'm happy to conclude the selection with a minimum of two Hearts cards.
Celtic have drawn a minimum of two bookings from their opponents in 19 of their 27 league games of the season so far, a sample that includes each of their previous two meetings this season with their Georgie guests.
In fact, the aforementioned 4/5 (PaddyPower) combination would have paid out the most recent meeting between the two teams and I see no reason to oppose a repeat here in what should be another relatively routine home victory for the reigning champions.
This Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Heart of Midlothian will be played on Mar 8, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Celtic vs Heart of Midlothian prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
