When Heart of Midlothian beat Celtic 3-1 on 26 October to go eight points clear of the reigning champions at the top of the Scottish Premiership, most pundits had already decided it was now a two-horse race for the title. Indeed, there were few who were willing to stick their neck out and suggest even Hearts had a realistic chance of sustaining their challenge for a full season given Celtic's dominance in recent seasons. Two months on and Derek McInnes' side are still there, albeit six points clear having played a game more than Celtic, who have since effectively shed two managers and are in turmoil under a third. Having also dismissed one head coach of their own, Rangers are, meanwhile, within three points of Celtic and will consider themselves also back in the race. So how realistic is the challenge facing Celtic?

Source: BBC December 19, 2025 18:15 UTC