Celtic take on Hearts this weekend at Tynecastle, presenting a mouthwatering clash for supporters to get their teeth into after the international break.
While 13 Bhoys went away to represent their nations, there is nothing quite like the real stuff as Brendan Rodgers prepares for a fierce contest in the capital against former colleague Neil Critchley.
The reigning Scottish Premiership champions have started like a house on fire this campaign, claiming ten victories and a stalemate against Aberdeen to place themselves at the summit.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  CelticCeltic | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 3 | 28 | 31 |
| 2 |  AberdeenAberdeen | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 10 | 14 | 31 |
| 3 |  RangersRangers | 11 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 22 |
| 4 |  Dundee UtdDundee Utd | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 18 | 13 | 5 | 19 |
Surprisingly, Hearts are perched at the other end of the league standings, having won just once in 13 attempts ahead of Celtic coming to town. Despite the divergence in position, both sides usually serve up a compelling contest fraught with contentious moments.
With anticipating reaching fever pitch ahead of the tie, Peter Grant has shared his verdict on whether his old side will call on one of their summer signings from the start.
Peter Grant on Celtic star Luke McCowan and Bhoys squad depth
Speaking on the Go Radio Football Show, Grant believes it would be difficult to envisage Luke McCowan claiming a place in the Bhoys’ starting line-up at Tynecastle this weekend despite doing ‘everything perfect’ since joining in the summer, owing to the Bhoys’ overall squad depth.
He explained: “Luke McCowan has done everything perfect so far. When you can leave someone like him out at this moment in time with his performance when being called upon, it tells you how strong the squad is.
“Hatate has been excellent, Bernardo has been excellent, Callum has been Callum, so it’s very difficult to see changes. What the manager will look at, some of them have been doing a little bit of travelling obviously, he’ll soon sense that and if he needs that freshness in there (he will oblige).
“It’s not easy going to Tynecastle, late kick-off, all the different things that go along with it, they’ll make it a proper cup tie. I still don’t see Celtic with the performances and the players that they have; they’ll raise it again, they’ll go again.
“It’ll be a tough game, Hearts will make it that way for them, but I just think Celtic have so much quality. If they keep clear of injuries at this moment in time, that’s important that they all come back ready to go as it gives Brendan not a selection problem, but he’ll know his team. He knows he needs to go to Tynecastle as it’ll be a fight and a scrap.”
There are plenty of options to pick from for Celtic at Tynecastle
Rodgers will be acutely aware of Hearts’ desire to rectify a poor start to the campaign on Saturday, but he has plenty of tools at his disposal to force three points over the line.
Unless one or two are carrying niggles from the international break, the Irishman will likely have a near full-strength squad to choose from at Tynecastle, so there are plenty of selection dilemmas to stew over.
Performances are important in these types of games, though supporters won’t be too bothered as long as the end result falls in their favour to keep the Bhoys top of the Scottish Premiership.
With a plethora of high-profile fixtures to come, Celtic will be keen to show their credentials in the hunt for a fourth successive league title.
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