Hearts v Celtic betting tips: Troubled Hoops start at Tynecastle
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Hearts v Celtic betting tips and odds
Celtic must dust themselves down from their midweek Champions League exit in Denmark as they kick off their Scottish Premiership campaign at Hearts.
The Hoops lost their second-round qualifier to Midtylland in extra time to miss out on the group stage for the fourth successive season, but they are 4/6 favourites to win at Tynecastle on Saturday evening.
The Jambos are back in the top flight after winning the Championship, so let’s examine some of the markets and odds in our Hearts v Celtic betting tips.
Match Odds
Ange Postecoglou has made an inauspicious start to his Celtic reign but he must pick up his players for the short trip to Edinburgh where Hearts are the 15/4 underdogs to make a winning start.
The Australian suggested that he should have put his foot down in his demands for new signings after his side faced up to the reality of a Europa League qualifier against Czech side Jablonec.
Celtic, 13/8 in the Scottish Premiership title odds, made five summer signings but two of them are in quarantine and former Sheffield Wednesday pair Osaze Urhoghide and Liam Shaw did not get off the bench in Denmark.
📸 Jamie Walker celebrates after giving Hearts the lead over Inverness CT. pic.twitter.com/5w9oXgirtH
— Heart of Midlothian FC (@JamTarts) July 25, 2021
With key defender Kristoffer Ajer having joined Brentford, Postecoglou had a back four with an average age of 21, only two fit strikers, and replaced Vasilis Barkas with Scott Bain as Celtic’s failure to address their goalkeeping problems again cost them over the two legs.
“I take responsibility,” he said. “I’m the person who has been put in charge. We haven’t got players in, I obviously haven’t done a good enough job convincing people we needed to bring people in.”
Hearts, 14/5 to draw on Saturday, won all four Scottish League Cup games without conceding a goal to qualify for the second round but in between lost 2-0 at home to League One side Sunderland.
With Celtic at sixes and sevens, Hearts can be backed at 11/10 to win or draw in the double chance market or 5/1 to win and under 3.5 goals.
Talking Tactics
Postecoglou went with a 4-3-3 on Wednesday night with Odsonne Edouard spearheading the attack flanked by Ryan Christie and Israeli youngster Liel Abada who had a quiet night and was replaced by James Forrest after an hour.
Hearts boss Robbie Neilson deployed the same formation for the Premier Sports Cup win against Inverness Caledonian Thistle and will welcome more than 4.500 supporters to Tynecastle for the game.
Defender John Souttar missed the 1-0 win but Neilson is confident he will be fit to face Celtic.
Goalscorer Odds
Edouard is the 3/1 favourite to bag the game’s first goal and 21/20 to score any time at Tynecastle.
We mentioned Callum McGregor as a potential first goalscorer in Denmark and the midfielder obliged at 20/1. The Bhoys skipper is available at 14/1 to break the deadlock and 5/1 to find the net.
Jamie Walker came in for praise from Neilson for his goalscoring display against Caley and he is 9/1 to draw first blood or 7/2 to get on the scoresheet.
Match Info
Where: Tynecastle
When: 20:00, Saturday 31st July
How to watch: Sky Sports
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
