Hearts Return to Celtic Park With May’s Collapse Still in the Background

This Celtic vs Hearts preview begins at the ground where Hearts’ title challenge came apart in May 2026. On Sunday, 18 October, Wouter Vrancken’s side return to Celtic Park for a Scottish Premiership match that will carry plenty of history, though the head coach wants his players looking only at the present.

May’s 11-minute collapse

Hearts arrived at Celtic Park in May with the title on the line and left with their hopes broken after an 11-minute collapse. About 800 Hearts supporters made the trip for that match, and the defeat has been described as traumatising for a fanbase that had dared to believe a non-Old Firm side could finish top.

The visit on Sunday is the first league return to the venue since that afternoon. Oisin McEntee was clear that the fixture is not a revenge mission, and Vrancken’s message has been similar: focus on the match ahead rather than the negative history attached to the ground.

Hearts refreshed under Vrancken

Much has changed since May. Vrancken has reshaped the team, and Hearts are unbeaten in seven matches under him, with five wins and one draw. Last weekend they beat St Mirren 5-0, then drew 1-1 with Nordsjaelland in the Conference League, McEntee scoring their goal.

Vrancken has stressed that the intensity he wants must be present in every game, especially the biggest ones. Sunday qualifies. So does the challenge of improving an away league record that shows two wins in the past 11 matches and no clean sheets in that run.

Celtic under pressure after Benfica

Celtic’s recent results have shifted the mood around this fixture. Martin O’Neill’s side have lost four of their past five matches in all competitions, including a 4-1 Europa League defeat to Benfica on Thursday. Supporters have been described as increasingly disgruntled, with background unrest around the board and the team’s performances.

Domestically, however, Celtic remain formidable. They have won 14 of their past 15 league games and scored two or more goals in 11 of those 15. A win on Sunday would put them four points clear at the top, after Rangers drew at Dundee before the fixture.

Head-to-head and key players

Celtic’s home league record against Hearts is overwhelmingly strong: 26 wins from the past 29 meetings at Celtic Park. Yet Hearts have lost only two of the last six home league games between the clubs, and last season they took seven points from four league meetings with Celtic, the most by any non-Old Firm side in a season since 1999-00.

Josh McPake has been central to Hearts’ recent attacking output, scoring or assisting six of their last seven open-play league goals. Tony Bloom reiterated earlier this week that he retains faith in Hearts’ title ambition, while O’Neill said he expects Sunday’s match to be as difficult as May’s decider and believes Hearts can challenge for the title.

Kick-off at Celtic Park is at 15:00 BST on Sunday. The result will say much about whether Hearts’ revival is real and whether Celtic’s league dominance can withstand a difficult week.