STEVEN McLEAN will be in charge of Celtic’s vital Premiership clash against Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday.
The experienced referee will be assisted by David McGeachie and Jonathan Bell on the touchlines while John Beaton will be tasked with VAR duties.
It will be the third league meeting between the teams this season with the Edinburgh outfit winning the previous two. Brendan Rodgers was in the Hoops dug-out for the last time when the champions toppled 3-1 in the capital in late October. It was the side’s second consecutive loss after going down 2-0 against Dundee at Dens Park the previous weekend.
POINT-BLANK MISS…Benjamin Nygren sees Hearts keeper Alexander Schwalow paw away his shot in Celtic’s 3-1 loss at Tynecastle in October.
Martin O’Neill answered his old team’s SOS to take over and led the side to seven wins in eight matches before he made way for Wilfried Nancy at the start of last month.
The Frenchman kicked off his disastrous 33-day reign with a 2-0 defeat against Derek McInnes’ side at Parkhead before being sacked following five more losses in only eight games.
O’Neill stepped up once again and has led the team to three successive domestic wins – 4-0 over Dundee United and 1-0 against Falkirk in the league plus Sunday’s night’s 2-0 Scottish Cup success over part-time sixth-tier club Auchinleck Talbot at Rugby Park.
The Hoops are trailing Hearts by six points in their pursuit of a fifth title in a row and a victory in the capital at the weekend is a must.
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