Scottish title race
Five games left – Can Hearts overcome Celtic and Rangers to make Scottish football history?
©IMAGO
To be the best, you have to beat the best. That phrase will likely be ringing in the ears of Hearts players this week, ahead of what will undoubtedly be a dramatic end to the Scottish Premiership title race. Following a 3-1 win over Motherwell on Saturday, Derek McInnes’ league leaders sit top of the Scottish Premiership by a solitary point, with Rangers and Celtic just one and three points behind them, respectively. And, as if that wasn’t exciting enough, all three teams will now face off against one another before the end of the league campaign.
The Scottish Premiership league campaign splits for the remaining five games of the season, with the top six teams and bottom six teams playing one another in a round-robin format. As such, after navigating their way past Hibs in the Edinburgh derby next weekend, Hearts will then face Rangers at home and will conclude the league season away to Celtic in the east end of Glasgow. The two giants of Scottish football will also face one another on May 10 at Ibrox for the last Old Firm derby of the league season, in a match that will undoubtedly play a major role in deciding whether this season’s Scottish champions will come from outside of Glasgow for the first time since 1985. So can Hearts do what many thought impossible at the start of the season? To many, two major factors will dictate how the next five weeks play out: the current form of McInnes’ side and their head-to-head record against both Glasgow clubs and their historic rivals across Edinburgh.
Can Hearts got the distance?
When it comes to form, the Tynecastle club have shown remarkable consistency. While Rangers have shortened the gap to them by five points since the start of 2026, Hearts have matched Celtic’s form over the last 14 games. And while McInnes’ side have had the odd hiccup – such as defeats to St Mirren and Kilmarnock – just three defeats in their last 10 games certainly point to a team that deserves to still be in the running for the title race. But what will encourage Hearts fans the most is the returning form of star strikers Lawrence Shankland and Claudio Braga. The former, who now has 85 goals in 166 games for the club, has returned from a lengthy hamstring injury in fine form, bagging two goals and an assist in his last three games, while the latter has five goals and assists in his last even leagues games.
Stats
L. Shankland
Centre-Forward
Heart of Midlothian FC
24
13
4
Stats
C. Braga
Centre-Forward
Heart of Midlothian FC
33
14
5
"There's no doubt the last five games are going to be dramatic," McInnes said after the win over Motherwell. "I feel the weight of responsibility, every team we pick, to try and get my players in the best form possible. When you come so far in the season with five games to go, it's difficult to keep going to the well and getting those performances. That's why the squad is so important for us. And we've got no troubles to seek in terms of injuries at the minute. But it pleases me no end that Braga and Shankland scored again, and Kabore gets a goal.”
Staff
D. McInnes
Age: 54
Heart of Midlothian FC
39
25
7
7
Indeed, the form of both strikers – who’ve netted a combined 45 goals and assists across all competitions this season – will be crucial for Hearts as they approach the forthcoming, must-win clashes with Hibs, Celtic and Rangers. McInnes’ side have won two of the three Edinburgh derbies this season, but came undone in their last trip to Easter Road, and while they have avoided defeat to Celtic in three games this season and won two of their three clashes against Rangers, their last match against the Ibrox club ended in a convincing 4-2 defeat in Glasgow. Few would doubt that Hearts have shown a capacity to win the games that matter this season, but whether they can do it again in the final weeks of the Scottish Premiership season remains to be seen.
Homepage
Report
error
