Carter-Vickers starts as Bernardo is benched - predicted XIs

Last time out, Brendan Rodgers’ side defeated Kilmarnock 2-0 at Rugby Park, as his team moved back to the top of the league table following Aberdeen’s win the previous day. Saturday’s opponents have had a torrid start to the season, and at the time of writing sit in 11th place, just one point clear of rivals Hibernian. They were defeated 1-0 by Rangers at Ibrox, though they got the better of their opponents the last time the two faced off in the capital, as the 10 men of Celtic were defeated 2-0 on the day. 

Following a string of poor results to start the 2024/25 season, chairperson Ann Budge relieved manager Steven Naismith of his duties and was replaced by former QPR and Blackpool manager Neil Critchley, who previously worked with Rodgers during their time together at Liverpool. Who will come out on top among the former co-workers?

With all of that in mind, who will Rodgers elect to start versus Hearts on Saturday evening? The Celtic Way’s Ryan McGinlay and Tony Haggerty each have their say…

Ryan McGinlay

After what has felt like the longest international break known to man, it will be bliss to have the ‘real’ football back – and what a fixture to come back to!

Indeed Hearts vs Celtic at Tynecastle always takes care of itself, given the hostile nature of the stadium and the atmosphere generated by both the spectators and the design of the ground. Despite it being a difficult ground to play at, this is one of those fixtures that will whet the appetite of players and supporters alike. 

With so many players coming back from international duty, it may mean that changes are called upon, especially with the Champions League match versus Club Brugge firmly in the club’s horizons. Though the manager may be tempted to do this, I predict that Rodgers will name the strongest side available to him – a necessary decision to make, regardless of Hearts’ recent form.

In goals, Kasper Schmeichel will remain, having enjoyed yet another international period with Denmark. Expect the goalkeeper to come up trumps once again, especially after his exploits versus Kilmarnock last time out. Despite their international exploits for USA and Canada, Auston Trusty and Alistair Johnston will play at centre and right-back respectively, joined by Cameron Carter-Vickers and Greg Taylor to make up the rest of the defence. Despite Alex Valle impressing before the latest break, Taylor has won back his spot in the team after injury, meaning that the Spaniard will have to wait for his next opportunity.

The Celtic midfield is perhaps the most contentious area the club has had in some time, given the strength in depth that Rodgers has at his disposal. Following a two-week break, captain Callum McGregor will feature at the base of midfield, supported by Arne Engels and Reo Hatate in the further forward areas of the engine room. Again, it is so harsh not to include Paulo Bernardo here, given his string of good performances, though I believe that Rodgers will prefer Engels to the Portugal U21 captain for this one. Hatate will be trusted to provide the creative spark needed to better Hearts on the night.

The front three will be Rodgers’ strongest at this point in time, as Kyogo Furuhashi will lead the line for Celtic against one of his favourite opponents in Hearts. He will be supported on the left and right wing respectively by Daizen Maeda and Nicolas Kuhn, who will provide both attacking power and defensive stability in their roles as Celtic’s wide-men. 

Celtic to win by at least two, maintaining their unbeaten start to league proceedings in the process.

Ryan’s team: Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Taylor; McGregor, Engels, Hatate; Kuhn, Kyogo, Maeda

Tony Haggerty

What a match we have in prospect in the capital as domestic football returns with a bang.

It does not get much better than Hearts v Celtic under the floodlights on a Saturday evening inside a packed Tynecastle.

Rodgers's men will be looking to pick up where they left off before the international break, but it is worth bearing in mind that they are returning to a venue where they suffered their last domestic defeat in all competitions, a 2-0 loss in March.

That's firmly behind Rodgers and his men now and it is the beginning of what the Irishman referred to as an 'ultramarathon' with 18 games in all competitions during the next 67 days.

Hearts recent form has been ropey, to say the least with just one win in their last five outings but none of that is Celtic's concern as they bid to remain top of the Scottish Premiership table.

Rodgers will also be mindful of the fact that some of his men were on long-haul international tours of duty but he'll go hard and go strong in Edinburgh in terms of team selection.

Schmeichel will be in between the sticks alongside a back four of Johnston - the right-back will want to celebrate his new five-year deal with a win - and Taylor deployed on the left-hand side. It will be an all-American central pairing as Carter-Vickers and Trusty will be entrusted with shoring everything up.

In the midfield, Bernardo impressed in midweek with his 10th goal in 28 appearances for Portugal under-21s, he will get the nod over Japanese international Hatate who may well be rotated for this one. McGregor and Engels will form the other two in midfield as Rodgers might opt to fight fire with fire in the engine room with a strong, physical presence.

The front three picks itself at this moment in time with on-fire right winger Kuhn looking to add to his 21 goal contributions already this season. He will have been buoyed by German national team head coach Julian Nagelsmann's comments that the Celtic wideman is on their international radar. Maeda will be asked to provide one of his sacrificial team performances once again but he is a powerhouse both in defence and attack and is no slouch in the scoring goals department either. The temptation as ever in the No. 9 role is to go with Idah who has a more robust presence than Kyogo up top. This might well be one of those occasions when Rodgers will go for brains and craft to outwit muscle in the final third so the Japanese talisman gets the nod over the Republic of Ireland international striker.

Celtic to win by three clear and to remain top of the tree.

Tony’s team: Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Taylor; McGregor, Engels, Bernardo; Kuhn, Kyogo, Maeda