Going into the game against Tynecastle Park, Celtic fans will know the importance of the game. Firstly, Hearts sit five points ahead of them. This is not a position the Hoops are used to being in. And the last thing that Brendan Rodgers' side can afford this weekend is a defeat because it would leave them eight points behind Derek McInnes' team in the title race.
Celtic did pick up a win in midweek, a 2-1 victory against Sturm Graz in the Europa League. Ideally, it would have boosted their confidence and put them in a better position going into the game against Hearts.
The issue is, Celtic's win came at a cost. Cameron Carter-Vickers, Alistair Johnston and Kelechi Iheanacho picked up injuries. And without them. Rodgers has had to name Dane Murray, Colby Donovan and Johnny Kenny as starters against Hearts.
So, this promises to be an incredibly rare occasion in Scottish football. Many believe that Hearts will be entering this game as the favourites over Celtic. Chris Sutton is among those people. He said while speaking on Sky Sports, as reported by 67 Hail Hail:
"Well, Hearts clearly start as favourites. They’ve been superb this season under Derek McInnes.
“They’re five points clear at the top. Beat Celtic today and it will go to eight points. And I think anybody analysing both teams looks at the way Hearts set up, they have flair in forward areas.
“There’s goals in the team. They’re strong defensively. Celtic haven’t been too bad defensively, but it’s been in those forward areas where Celtic had been really lacking.
“So it’s Celtic who go into this one under pressure. Injuries to key players, Cameron Carter-Vickers, he’s out for five months.
“Alistair Johnson, who’s been such a brilliant player for Celtic, looks like he’s going to be out for a while now.
“Iheanacho, the centre forward they did get in over the window, we don’t know how long he’s going to be out. So Celtic are depleted, and they’ve got it all to do."
Chris Sutton makes big Hearts vs Celtic claim on Sky Sports
That is the harsh truth of this situation. Celtic do enter this game as the underdogs. One could argue that that was always going to be the case based on their current form. On top of that, they have key players out injured as well.
How often have Hearts been the favourites against Celtic in modern football? This might be the very first time.
Now, it remains to be seen how Celtic deal with this situation. It is certainly going to be unfamiliar territory to many of these players. But at the same time, a number of them have the chance to make an impression on Rodgers and nail down spots in the team. Let's see how things turn out for the Hoops away at Tynecastle Park. A win will breathe new life into the season. A defeat could almost end it.