Heart of Midlothian, founded in 1874, remain one of Scottish football’s established institutions, with Tynecastle Park still the point of friction for visiting sides. Their squad is valued at around £21.5m by Transfermarkt, built from 34 players with an average age of 26.
Their current campaign has had a broad spread of commitments: a League Cup quarter-final, Champions League and Europa League qualifying ties, a Conference League play-off round, and a place in the Conference League league phase. Domestically, they sit third in the 2026-27 Premiership after four rounds, with nine points on the board.
Hearts have carried a clear threat at home, averaging three goals scored and only 0.5 conceded per match. Away from Tynecastle, the attack has still travelled reasonably well at two goals per game, though the defensive numbers are looser, with 1.5 conceded on average.
Recent league form has been strong, including wins over Hibernian, St Johnstone, Dundee United and Falkirk, with defeats at Aberdeen and Celtic in between. Calvin Miller and James Wilson lead their scoring with four goals each, supported by Cláudio Braga, Josh McPake and Tom Renaud on two.
Their honours include a Scottish Cup, giving some historical weight without disguising the present reality: Hearts are a well-resourced Premiership side, awkward at Tynecastle and currently positioned as a credible upper-half opponent for Celtic.
📈 Key stats and insights
⚔️ How they compare to Celtic
Compared with Celtic, Hearts present a different profile: Celtic have the edge overall through superior away firepower and a tighter defensive record, while Hearts are the more dangerous side at home — scoring more per home match and generating far more corners — so Celtic must respect Tynecastle's attacking thrust even as they remain favourites on balance due to defensive solidity and greater goal threat across the park.
