SNS GroupSteven Naismith and Brendan Rodgers have named their starting line-ups for Sunday’s Premiership clash between Hearts and Celtic.
The Hoops arrive at Tynecastle knowing a win will see them leapfrog Rangers and regain top spot in the league going in to the last nine games.
That is because the league leaders suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at home to Motherwell on Saturday as the title-race begins to heat up between the big two.
However the home side will be aiming to take another step towards securing third and a victory will move them 13 points clear of fourth placed St Mirren.
Hearts beat Celtic last time the teams met with a 2-0 victory in Glasgow in December and have only lost one of their last 14 games.
But they are without a win in their last two games after a 5-0 defeat to Rangers last weekend and a 1-1 draw with Hibs on Wednesday.
The champions on the other hand seem to have finally found the kind of form that has eluded them for large parts of the season after a 3-1 win at Fir Park was followed by a 7-1 defeat of Dundee.
A victory in the capital will put them a point ahead of their city rivals and take back the top spot they have held for most of the season.
But the home side have ambitions of their own and will fancy their chances of taking something in front of their own support.
Naismith starts with Clark in goals behind Kingsley, Rowles, Cochrane, Lembikisa, Sibbick, Baningime, Nieuwenhof, Grant, Forrest and Shankland.
Celtic are without captain Callum McGregor for the first time in a league game this season after suffering a knock to Achilles in midweek and he is replaced by Paulo Bernardo.
And that is the only change from the 7-1 win with Rodgers naming Hart in goals behind a back four of Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales and Taylor and a midfield three of Tomoki Iwata, Matt O’Riley and Bernardo.
In-form forward Adam Idah leads the line again after three goals in the last two games with Yang and Maeda at either side of him making up a front three.
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