Preview: Celtic vs. Hearts - prediction, team news, lineups

Celtic will be looking to move one step closer to winning their fifth Scottish League Cup in six years when they host high-flying Hearts in the second round on Sunday.

Both sides were eliminated at this stage of the competition last season, with the Hoops suffering a surprise lost to Ross County, while the Jam Tarts were defeated by Alloa Athletic.

Match preview

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After a slow start to his tenure as Celtic boss, Ange Postecoglou has finally got his side on the right track with three impressive wins on the bounce, scoring 13 goals in the process.

Celtic's most recent success was a comfortable 3-0 victory against Czechia outfit FK Baumit Jablonec in the second leg of their Europa League third-round qualifier on Thursday, winning 7-2 on aggregate.

A brace from David Turnbull and a strike from James Forrest helped the Hoops sail into the final playoff round where they will face Dutch side AZ Alkmaar later this month.

Postecoglou hailed his side's performance and heaped praised on the "incredible" atmosphere created by a packed Parkhead crowd, stating that it was even more of a thrill than he had anticipated.

The Hoops now turn their attention to their League Cup clash against a Hearts side who beat them 2-1 in their opening Premiership match in July.

Celtic were eliminated in disappointing fashion at this stage of the League Cup last season, when they suffered a shock 2-0 defeat at home to Ross County, which sparked hundreds of fans to protest outside of the stadium.

A repeat of that result would not go down well with supporters once again, though the Hoops seem to be in a slightly stronger position now than they were this time last year, and they should be confident in progressing to the quarter-finals.

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Hearts maintained their 100% record across all competitions when they beat St Mirren 2-1 away from home in the Premiership last weekend.

Goals either side of half time from Andy Halliday and Liam Boyce helped the Jam Tarts secure all three points in Paisley, extending their winning run to six matches.

Robbie Nielson's men cruised to the top of Group A in the League Cup this season, winning all four of their matches, albeit against lower league opposition, by an aggregate score of 8-0.

They now face a much tougher task against an in-form Celtic side, though their league victory against them at Tynecastle will give them confidence of causing another upset on Sunday.

The last time Hearts were victorious at Parkhead was back in April 2012, when they won 2-1 in the Scottish Cup, and since then they have lost 14 of their last 15 trips there. With their current form, Nielson will hope that his side's positive momentum can end this run and get them over the line this weekend.

Team News

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Celtic will still be without forward Leigh Griffiths and defender Christopher Jullien, who continue to recover from respective calf and knee injuries.

Centre-back Stephen Welsh has started the last two matches in the heart of the defence and he could keep his place in the side on Sunday ahead of Israeli international Nir Bitton.

Summer signing James McCarthy has been training with his new teammates since arriving from Crystal Palace and he could be in the matchday squad this weekend, though the Irish midfielder is unlikely to be handed a start.

Forward Kyogo Furuhashi could keep his place up front ahead of Odsonne Edouard, with Forrest and Liel Abada the most likely candidates to join the Japanese international in a three-man attack.

As for Hearts, Jamie Walker has missed the last two matches with an ankle injury but the winger could be in contention to feature this weekend.

Centre-back Stephen Kingsley missed the victory at St Mirren due to illness, but he may be available to play in the back three against Celtic, alongside John Souttar and Craig Halkett.

Wingers Gary Mackay-Steven and Josh Ginnelly are both expected to support central striker Boyce again in attack, which will mean the likes of Armand Gnanduillet and Euan Henderson are set to begin on the bench.

Celtic possible starting lineup:
Hart; Ralston, Welsh, Starfelt, Taylor; McGregor, Soro, Turnbull; Abada, Furuhashi, Forrest

Hearts possible starting lineup:
Gordon, Souttar, Halkett, Kingsley; Smith, Baningime, Halliday, Cochrane; Ginnelly, Boyce, Mackay-Steven

We say: Celtic 2-1 Hearts

The opening day of the Premiership saw a closely-fought contest played out between these two sides last month, and another tight encounter could be on the cards on Sunday.

Celtic seem to have turned a corner in the last week and we feel that their threat in the final third can hurt Hearts this time around.

The Jam Tarts themselves have been in brilliant form so far this campaign, but their six-game winning run may come to an end at Parkhead.