Wilfried Nancy has been thrown in at the deep end for his debut as Celtic boss, with the Hoops hosting Heart of Midlothian in a top-of-the-table tussle.
Brendan Rodgers quit after a 3-1 loss to the Jambos just before Halloween left the champions a scary eight points behind the SPFL Premiership pacesetters.
But club legend Martin O'Neill did a fantastic job as interim gaffer and a 1-0 victory over Dundee in his final fixture left Celtic behind Hearts only on goal difference.
The Hoops also have a game in hand so if they can claim another three points on Nancy's debut it would put them in pole position for a fifth successive title.
Hearts head to Celtic Park in poor form, with a 1-1 midweek draw at home to Kilmarnock making it just one win in their last six games.
They've still lost just once in the Premiership all season, away to Aberdeen last month, but the early season optimism swirling around Tynecastle is starting to evaporate.
Derek McInnes still has a talented squad at his disposal though and, with Celtic still looking a little vulnerable, this is a chance for the Jambos to get back on track with a statement victory.
How the bookies view it: Hearts slump to continue
With Hearts in poor form, they're as big as 5/1 for a win with Bet365, which looks a little overpriced with Celtic in the midst of a managerial change. The Hoops are 4/7 hot favourites with most firms while the draw pays 3/1 at Unibet.
Recent head to head: Jambos out to do the double
Hearts won 3-1 in the last meeting at Tynecastle but they had lost four in a row in this fixture before that. The Jambos can take some heart from their 2-0 victory at Celtic Park two years ago just before Christmas.
Players to watch: Maeda back in business
Daizen Maeda has returned to form since switching from the right flank to centre forward. The Japanese star has scored in his last two games and looks good at 6/4 with William Hill for another goal.
Celtic still look weak at right-back so Hearts could get some joy down the left flank with Alexandros Kyziridis. The Greek winger fired home a screamer in the last meeting at Tynecastle and is 7/4 with Bet365 to score or assist.
Probable line-ups
Maeda took a nasty head knock when scoring the winner against Dundee but came back on bandaged up and finished the 90 minutes so he should start again. Full-back Marcelo Saracchi limped off with a hamstring injury though and the Hoops look light in defence with Alistair Johnston and Cameron Carter-Vickers also out.
Hearts look set to be without Ageu, Beni Baningime, Finlay Pollock and Calem Nieuwenhof again.
Celtic: Schmeichel, Donovan, Trusty, Scales, Tierney, McGregor, Engles, Hatate, Nygren, Yang, Maeda.
Hearts: Schwolow, Kingsley, Halkett, Findlay, Milne, Devlin, Magnusson, McEntee, Kyziridis, Braga, Shankland.
Anything else catch the eye?
It will be interesting to see what approach McInnes takes for this game as he bids to spark Hearts back to life. He is known for being a pragmatist but with Celtic missing key players in defence the best option may be to go on the attack.
Nancy is known for playing attacking football so it bodes well for goals at both ends and combining BTTS with over 2.5 goals pays 6/5 at Bet365.
Think both sides will find the net? Our BTTS Masterclass explains how to spot the fixtures where goals are a given.
This game has the potential to be a bit spicy and Hearts midfielder Cammy Devlin looks good for a card at 8/5 with Bet365. The combative Aussie has picked up two yellows in his last three matches.
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