Celtic will be looking to increase their incredible winning streak and maintain their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership table when they host Hearts on Wednesday.
Following on from their Viaplay Cup final win, Celtic's fine form continued on their return to Scottish Premiership action, beating St Mirren 5-1 at St Mirren Park. There were five different goalscorers for Ange Postecoglou 's side in the victory that made it 12 wins in a row after responding from an early set-back in Paisley.
Frustratingly for the Hoops, Rangers also hold a strong winning record in the league, meaning the nine-point gap hasn't expanded in that time. Wednesday's clash is the first of two this week against Hearts, with the duo meeting again on Saturday in the Scottish Cup.
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So, can Celtic get the better of Hearts on Wednesday night? We simulated the game to try and find out.
Celtic vs Hearts simulated
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the Celtic squad with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that Celtic could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Hart; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Starfelt, Taylor; McGregor, Hatate, O'Riley; Maeda, Kyogo, Jota.
We predict that the visitors could set up in a 3-4-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Clark; Hill, Rowles, Kingsley; Smith, Grant, Snodgrass, Cochrane; Ginnelly, Shankland, McKay.
Celtic controlled the opening stages, and they could've easily been ahead after 15 minutes, but Kyogo Furuhashi and Jota were both guilty of missing glorious chances from inside the box. The first 45 ended 0-0 with the Hoops unlucky not to be ahead, but it didn't take long for the lead to arrive in the second half.
Alistair Johnston picked up possession deep in Celtic's half, and the defender surged forward with possession to start an attack. A quick one-two with Reo Hatate saw Johnston reach the edge of the box, and his through ball to Kyogo was well finished by the striker, with the Japanese international lifting the ball over the 'keeper to make it 1-0.
With the lead, Celtic started to lose focus in the simulation, allowing the visitors some big chances to equalise, but they managed to maintain the one-goal advantage. But, in the 93rd minute, Hearts levelled the score to steal two points from Celtic's grasp.
A cross into the box was blocked out by Cameron Carter-Vickers, but the defender's clearance only fell to the feet of Robert Snodgrass just outside the box. With his left foot, the Scotsman rifled a powerful strike into the bottom corner, leaving Joe Hart with no chance as the clash ended 1-1.
FIFA 23 predicted score: Celtic 1-1 Hearts
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 23 predicts that Celtic could drop points for the first time in 11 games on Wednesday, drawing 1-1 in the simulation. Despite a dominant performance, the Hoops conceded in the 93rd minute, with Postecoglou's side being made to pay for some lacklustre finishing.
What do you think the score will be between Celtic and Hearts on Wednesday? Let us know in the comments!
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