Officials and VAR confirmed as Celtic travel to face Hearts at Tynecastle

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Celtic return from the international break against Heart of Midlothian this weekend in a much-anticipated Scottish Premiership clash.

Brendan Rodgers will hope his 13 Bhoys on duty with their respective nations return fit and healthy for their trip to the capital, which forms the first instalment of an exciting fixture run leading up to the festive period.

Earlier in the campaign, Celtic defeated Hearts 2-0 courtesy of goals from Arne Engels and Luke McCowan. However, the visitors will come up against a different man in the opposition dugout this time around.

Neil Critchley is now in charge at Tynecastle, but his side remain only one point above Hibernian at the foot of the table with just one win in their last five matches across all competitions.

With anticipation building ahead of the Bhoys’ latest Scottish Premiership assignment, both sides now know who will be in charge of officiating the tie.

Officials and VAR for Hearts vs Celtic appointed

Under the lights on Saturday night, Steven McLean has been appointed as the man with the whistle at Tynecastle and will be charged with keeping order during what is bound to be a fiery encounter [Scottish FA].

Graeme Stewart and Daniel McFarlane will run the lines. On VAR duty, Greg Aitken has been drafted in as chief operative, and is responsible for scrutinising any major points of contention.

Gary Hilland is also present to help offer a second pair of eyes, while there is no information regarding who the fourth official at Tynecastle will be as of yet. Regardless, let’s hope fans are left talking about the football this weekend rather than refereeing calls.

Celtic on the hunt for another vital three points

Before the international break, Celtic found a way past Kilmarnock to reclaim their position at the top of the Scottish Premiership table after Aberdeen’s victory earlier that weekend against Dundee.

On Saturday, the Bhoys may need to fulfil that prophecy once again at another tough away venue, and you would expect Rodgers to go full strength to get the job done.

The stop-start nature of club football due to windows where players jet off to represent their countries can be frustrating, but Celtic know there is little margin for error this weekend as they aim to lay down another marker to their challengers.