Celtic must win, Hearts need a draw in Scottish title showdown

LONDON: The destination of Scotland’s Premiership title will be decided at Parkhead on Saturday when Celtic need victory to become champions for the 56th time while Hearts will take the crown for the first time in 66 years and fifth in all if they win or draw.
Those are the bald facts, but they barely hint at the weight of history hanging over the fixture or reveal any of the drama and fury generated by Wednesday’s nerve-shredding penultimate round of fixtures.
Nobody other than Celtic or Rangers have won the league since Aberdeen in 1985 but, as every generation of Hearts fans knows, that domination could, and should, have started a year later.
In 1986 Hearts went into the final day needing only a draw against Dundee to take the honors and were on course for that with ‌seven minutes remaining — ‌only to concede late goals in a 2-0 defeat. At the same time ‌Celtic ⁠hammered St.

Mirren ⁠5-0 to take the title on goal difference, leaving the Edinburgh side devastated.
This season, Hearts have led the league since September, leaving their long-suffering fans to dream that, finally, this is their moment.
However, a nervous run-in allowed Celtic, revitalized after the return of former manager Martin O’Neill as stand-in boss, to close the gap, culminating in Wednesday’s extraordinary drama.
Hearts beat Falkirk 3-0 and for a while that would have been enough to make them champions, as Celtic trailed at Motherwell. The defending champions hit back to lead 2-1 but a late Motherwell equalizer ⁠meant that, with Hearts’ superior goal difference, Celtic would have had to win ‌Saturday’s decider by at least three goals to leapfrog their rivals.
Disaster — ‌for Hearts — then struck deep into stoppage time when Celtic were awarded a