Celtic opponent says his club are on track to challenge Brendan Rodgers’ side

Celtic remain on course in their Scottish Premiership title pursuit following this weekend’s events in the first round of post-split fixtures.

On Sunday lunchtime, Rangers’ victory over St Mirren meant that Brendan Rodgers’ men had to secure three points against Dundee to reclaim the three-point advantage they had built up at the summit.

The Irishman made one change for the trip to Tayside, starting James Forrest off the left flank, and his two goals were enough to fend off a late fightback from the hosts and guarantee Celtic a priceless victory on a dry surface.

Four league matches and a Scottish Cup final remain as the Bhoys gear up for their final collision course en route to a potential third successive title; however, they know achieving their aspirations won’t come smoothly, with Heart of Midlothian next on the horizon this Saturday at Parkhead.

Steven Naismith’s outfit need two points to guarantee third place in the Scottish Premiership table; nevertheless, even if they lose, results elsewhere could rubber-stamp group stage European football for the Edinburgh-based side in 2024/25.

Either way, Parkhead will be packed to the rafters on Saturday as Celtic aim to take one step closer to claiming Scottish football’s greatest prize.

Cammy Devlin on Hearts’ chances of competing with Celtic

For all the wonderful drama produced in Scottish Football, the top flight is a duopoly, with Celtic leading the way by a landslide in the 21st century.

Despite this, other sides will always feel they have an outside chance of upsetting the apple cart in the Scottish Premiership by breaking the Glasgow divide apart in the league standings, or so Hearts midfielder Cammy Devlin believes his club can achieve at some point in the future.

This season, Celtic recorded a solitary victory against the Jambos last October at Tynecastle; meanwhile, Naismith’s side won the other two affairs, albeit in controversial fashion at home earlier this year.

Cited via The Edinburgh Evening News, Devlin is adamant Hearts can strive to comPete with Celtic and Rangers in some form, as he explained: “It’s about getting there, as close as we can, working as hard as we can every single day. We go out with a Game plan to win every single Game.

“It doesn’t matter who we play against. If we can do that, then brilliant. But they (Celtic and Rangers) are massive Football clubs, aren’t they? So, it’s just about trying to get as close as we can, and I feel like we’re on the right track.

Responding to a suggestion of their two triumphs over Celtic, he added: “Hey, that’s what I mean. It’s about trying to do that as much as we can as a football club. We’re a massive club, so I feel like going and challenging these guys is something we should be doing.”

Celtic vs Hearts promises to be a feisty affair this weekend

No love is lost between Celtic and Hearts, who both have plenty to play for as the second instalment of post-split fixtures begins to take shape.

For the Bhoys, a victory would open up a six-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership, which would apply major pressure on to Rangers’ shoulders ahead of their clash against Kilmarnock the following day.

Any win on Saturday afternoon will do for Celtic, with Rodgers’ men now firmly focused on claiming silverware before the campaign draws to a close.