Heart of Midlothian

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• Daizen Maeda has been directly involved in 26 goals in the Scottish Premiership in 2025 (17 goals, nine assists), the most by a Celtic player in a single calendar year since Ryan Christie in 2019 (14 goals, 12 assists). The last to score or assist more in a year for the club was Leigh Griffiths in 2016 (25 goals, five assists).

• After scoring at least twice in their first five away league games this season, Hearts have since drawn a blank in their past two on the road. They last went three successive away games without scoring in the Premiership in December 2019 (run of six).

• Celtic have only lost one of their past nine home league games against opponents starting the day top of the table (W6 D2), going down 2-0 against Rangers in October 2020. These nine games include a 5-0 win over Hearts in November 2018.

• Hearts have won three of their past seven league games against Celtic (L4), including their most recent in October (3-1). Hearts had only won three of their previous 37 league matches versus the Parkhead side before this (D2 L32).

• Celtic have won 25 of their past 27 home league games against Hearts, the exceptions being a 0-0 draw in September 2015 and a 2-0 defeat in December 2023.

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Hearts have no intention of loaning Craig Gordon out in January unless the veteran goalkeeper decides he needs more games to make Scotland's World Cup squad. (Edinburgh Evening News), external

"The team out of Celtic, Rangers and Hearts that has the best January in terms of bringing transfers in wins the Scottish Premiership," predicts former Celtic striker Chris Sutton. (Sky Sports), external

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Lawrence Shankland is sure Hearts will come through "a wee bit of a wobble" as the Premiership leaders prepare to meet closest rivals Celtic on Sunday.

After going four games without a win, the Edinburgh side are now in front of the champions on goal difference, having been nine points clear at the start of November.

"The expectation comes from the more games you win," said skipper Shankland when asked if his side were struggling with the pressure of being top.

"The excitement from the outside and all the noise around it probably doesn't help, but at the same time when you have moments like this it feels like everything is a lot worse and the world is coming crashing down. But in reality, if you take a wee step back, it's not.

"It's just a wee bit of a wobble. But that pressure is going to be there if that's where we're going to be and you need to deal with that. It's a new position for a lot of boys that have come into the club.

"Obviously, everything has gone brilliantly to start with, you're flying and everything feels good, but there was always going to come a wee moment like this.

"We know the season is a bit of a marathon and there's a long way to go."

Hearts beat the champions 3-1 at Tynecastle in October, with Shankland converting a penalty, but have lost 25 of their past 27 league visits to Celtic, who will have Wilfried Nancy in charge of his first game on Sunday.

"When you come this far in the season and you're sitting with the same points as Celtic, it's a good position to be in," added Scotland striker Shankland.

"We need to go through there with belief, it's as simple as that. We're in this position because we've been doing well and we deserve to be where we are.

"Everybody just need to stay positive, the world's not ending. I've still got a really good feeling about this season and how it's gone and hopefully the boys do as well."

Clive Lindsay
BBC Sport Scotland

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Whereas Wilfried Nancy at first would have been expecting to take charge of a Celtic team needing refreshed after Brendan Rodgers' departure, the Frenchman's mindset will now need to turn to carrying on the good work of interim manager Martin O'Neill in the five weeks since.

It was a 3-1 defeat by Sunday's opponents, as Hearts enjoyed a sixth straight victory and inflicted a third loss in five for Celtic, that proved to be the final straw for Rodgers.

However, since his resignation the following day and the arrival of fellow Northern Irishman O'Neill as interim boss, there has been a steady change in fortunes.

The eight-point lead Hearts established that day to inspire hopes of a genuine title challenge from Edinburgh has been surrendered - and they risk ending the weekend three points behind champions who also still have a game in hand.

O'Neill hands over a team who have lost once, away to Midtjylland in the Europa League, in eight outings since that ill-fated trip to the capital, winning their latest five.

Derek McInnes' leaders, meanwhile, have since then won only once in six.

In Hearts' defence, it should be pointed out that they have also only lost one of those.

However, a failure to score in their latest two away games shows where their recent problems lie as they head to Celtic Park, where they have also not found the net in three straight defeats since their last win there, by 2-0 in December 2023.

Five consecutive home wins since losing to Braga in the Europa League should give Nancy confidence that he can get his reign off to a table-topping high.

However, will he do so by continuing with O'Neill's winning formula, or immediately adopt the 3-4-3 formation he favoured leading Columbus Crew to a second-place finish in Major League Soccer in 2024 before slipping to 12th this year?

Read all the weekend Premiership picks

Hearts want a new right-back in the January transfer window and hope to move some players on. (The Scotsman - subscription required), external

Brian McLauchlin and Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

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"I'm not going anywhere!"

Okay, it may not quite be the scene from The Wolf of Wall Street, Leonardo DiCaprio with microphone in hand, telling his adoring workers that he's staying put.

Instead, it's the - now former - chair of Hearts, Ann Budge, reminding people that while she has stepped down from her role, you'll still see her out and about at Tynecastle.

As honorary club president, her shock of blonde hair will still be more than visible in the comfy seats in the main stand - a project that will go down as a key part of her legacy.

Eleven years after she stepped in to save Hearts from the brink of liquidation, and about six years after she originally foresaw herself leaving the role, Budge departs - sort of.

"When I first got involved, I thought [I'd be involved for] three to five years," she told BBC Scotland following her final AGM as chair.

"One of my objectives was get a plan in place over that time to fix it, replace the stand, do whatever we had to do.

"But I learned very quickly that I didn't have three years. We had to move, and that just rolled on. I suppose I was enjoying it so much, it just kept going."

While there was a relegation on her watch, and a spell on the SPFL board that disappointed her, there have been many highs along the way.

The building of the new main stand at Tynecastle, completed in November 2017, ranks highly for Budge, as does qualifying for Europe on four occasions.

Now, she leaves Hearts top of the Premiership, and although that could change on Sunday when they visit Celtic Park, this season remains a dream.

"There is no way I would have ever thought that [leaving with Hearts top of the Premiership] would be the case," she said. "If we weren't top I would be saying 'Well, it doesn't really matter,' but actually it's a lovely feeling.

"It's been earned by the people who are working hard to achieve these things. We may succeed, we may not, but I know it won't be for lack of trying."

Would she be there at Tynecastle at the end of the season, lifting the league trophy if Hearts were to prevail?

"Over the last few months people keep saying 'Oh, you're leaving' - I'm not going anywhere.

"I am not doing that job [as chair] any more, but fortunately I've got a position that ensures I have every right to come to the club whenever I choose to and I will do that.

"I'll keep in touch with people. Everybody knows if they want to talk to me, they know how to get hold of me."

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Hearts held their AGM at Tynecastle on Thursday, with chair Ann Budge leaving her role before becoming honorary club president.

She addressed shareholders, as did CEO Andrew McKinlay, and here are some of the takeaways:

• Budge received a standing ovation as she relinquished her post as chair, with one shareholder suggesting Tynecastle's main stand should be named after her.

• On her new role, Budge says she's "not really going anywhere" and will be "lending an ear to whoever might want to talk to me".

• In her opening remarks, Budge also said the club "can't lose sight of our long-term goals" which are financial security, being a major force for good in the community, and to retain and improve their position in Scottish football.

• McKinlay admitted there were "more downs than ups" last season in which Hearts finished seventh and spent most of the campaign near the bottom of the table while failing to qualify to the knockout stage in the Conference League.

• New finance director Euan Forbes told the crowd that staff costs were up 16%, with "football costs around £14m".

• McKinlay spoke about the Oriam, where Hearts train and have a lease until 2029, and said "the cost of building our own exclusive training HQ is prohibitive" - especially if it was to meet the same standards as the Oriam.

• It was revealed the club have spent over £46m on players and capital infrastructure in the 11-and-a-half years Budge has been in charge.

Hearts winger turned Sportscene pundit Neil McCann discusses Lawrence Shankland's return to form this season after the striker netted his 11th club goal of the campaign with the opener in the 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock.

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Stuart Findlay admits Hearts were battling nerves before being hit by a late Kilmarnock "sucker punch" to extend their winless run to four games.

Hearts are now level on points with Celtic at the top of the Premiership after a fourth draw in six matches.

Derek McInnes' side led through Lawrence Shankland's early second-half strike at Tynecastle, only for Bruce Anderson to rescue a point for struggling Killie in the final minute following an uncharacteristic error from goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow.

"It was a very frustrating end to the game," defender Findlay said.

"We had a lot of control in the first half and started the second half on the same foot but maybe got a bit nervy in the last 20 minutes.

"It's a frustrating game to lose and definitely feels like two points dropped.

"As long as the game's at 1-0 it's always going to be a dangerous scoreline, you always know there could be a sucker punch round the corner.

"We had a couple of frights before [the goal] and when you see Bruce Anderson falling on to shots it's a horrible feeling. It's done now, we just need to look forward to a big game on Sunday."

McInnes' men travel to Celtic Park on Sunday for a massive top-of-the-table clash and Findlay insists Hearts are "still in a very strong position".

"When you set the bar as high as we did, it's been a magnificent run, any drop in form is going to be noticeable," Findlay added.

"We just need to look at the league table and know we're still in a very good position. 99 out of 100 people would have taken this position at the start of the season.

"That doesn't cover the fact we need to get back to winning ways but if we regroup quickly we're still in a very strong position."

We asked for your thoughts after Hearts conceded a late equaliser against Kilmarnock to go four games without a win.

Here's a taste of what you had to say:

Jim: Lets start on a positive note, would all Hearts fans settle for being top of the league at this stage of the season? Of course we would. Most teams have a poor run of results at some point each season, so I hope we have had ours and we go to Celtic Park this weekend to re-assert our position at the top of the league. I think this month's matches will determine whether Hearts are to be taken seriously as Premiership contenders or just another team battling for third place.

David: We have lost our cutting edge. To have 17 shots at goal with only three on target says it all. There has to be a realignment of the squad in January, too many experienced players can't even get in a matchday squad, never mind sit on the bench. For instance do we really need six goalkeepers? Sunday is a huge game - let's hope the mindset and belief is where it needs to be.

Steve: Cammy Devlin once again gets pass marks, the rest? Regressing. Slow, back passing football, no cutting edge and a return once again to a slow midfield with no killer balls. Derek McInnes has a wealth of new and exciting talent and we get Alan Forrest and Blair Spittal - both are not at the level of a team sitting top of the league. Concerning times.

Brent: Honeymoon is over now. This Hearts team should not be dropping two points to a team that has two wins in 15 games. No confidence going into the weekend against Celtic.

Frank: Teams have studied us and worked out strategies to snuff out the effectiveness of our front players. This will be a big challenge for McInnes. His team selected was simply not a patch on the team of the first 11 games of the season. Okay, we've lost Beni Baningime, but the squad is large and there should be alternatives.

Chris: You could hear a pin drop in the second half even after we had scored. The football is boring, predictable and saps the energy out of those hoping to enjoy exciting and high energy stuff. McInnes and has 'tactics' have been blown out the water. Wrong line-ups, [Neil] Critchley-esque football and a team devoid of any fire. I've seen this scenario play out before - it's gonna be a long, long month.

Watch the best of the action as league leaders Hearts are held at home by Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership.

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Hearts head coach Derek McInnes: "100% [feels like two points dropped]. You're never there until the referee blows the final whistle.

"It's a mistake, we're not going to kill people for that. We should be dealing with the shot. We have to deal with that. It's unfortunate for us for all the control we had. A lot of what I wanted from the game was there.

"We could have done with that second goal, but sometimes 1-0 should be enough. We should just stay calm. We get away with a wee scare.

"If we play the game in their half we should be fine. We allowed ourselves to deal with a shot and we should deal with it.

"I thought we brought a lot of intelligence and showed a lot of control and authority. We never quite [put the game to bed]."

Hearts visit Celtic on Sunday for a top-of-the-table clash with their eight-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership gone, after Bruce Anderson's 90th-minute leveller for struggling Kilmarnock left them without a win in four games.

Have your say on the game here.

Read our match report here.

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Former Hearts manager Robbie Neilson is urging supporters to retain some "perspective" amid talk of a wobble at the Tynecastle club.

Derek McInnes' side, who sit top of the Premiership table, have won nine of their 14 games this season but after a slight dip in form are winless in their last three.

But former boss Neilson says Hearts "would have bitten your hand off at the start of the season" to be in the position they're in.

"Scottish football and perspective, it's words that don't normally go together," he said on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"When you look at Hearts, 14 games in, 31 points, top of the league, they would have bitten your hand off for that at the start of the season.

"They've just got to try and settle it down. McInnes is an extremely experienced manager, he'll settle them down and get them ready.

"It's a massive opportunity for them tonight to get back up and running again against a Kilmarnock team that have struggled recently.

"If they can score some goals, get Tynecastle rocking again and get that confidence going to Celtic Park.

"There'll be plenty of perspective internally at Tynecastle, but it's just trying to manage the lack of it outside."

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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When Ann Budge first stepped through the doors of Hearts back in early summer 2014 she had plans to remain at the club for no more than three years.

But here we are now, over ten years at Hearts, and it is only now she has decided to step away from the club she saved from oblivion.

Back in 2013 Hearts had been plunged into administration after Vladimir Romanov left the club millions in debt, and with the Lithiuanian lawyers looking to extract every single penny they could the outlook was bleak.

Working alongside the Foundation of Hearts she put up £2.5million of her own hard cash to lead the club to safety with the promise the fans would one day own the club.

She duly delivered on her promise four years ago with Hearts now the largest fan-owned club in the UK.

In these years she has also delivered a new main stand which now also hosts a five star hotel and became the first club in Scotland to introduce a living wage for all staff.

She has introduced philanthropists like James Anderson, who has ploughed millions into the club over the years, and brought in charity sponsors with Save the Children and MND Scotland featuring on the front of shirts.

And recently she was the major player in ensuring the deal for Tony Bloom to be welcomed into the Hearts family. Along with nearly £10m and the use of Jamestown Analytics, it has transformed the club's recruitment strategy and will continue to do so in the coming seasons.

It hasn't always though been plain sailing though for Budge. In 2020 the club were relegated in what was a curtailed season due to Covid and a battle through the courts to address this issue was ultimately lost.

There have also been no fewer than 11 managers in Ann's time in charge with supporters questioning many of the appointments made.

Budge will formally step down from her role as chairperson at Thursday's annual general meeting with local businessman Callum Paterson taking over the role.

Budge has been handed the role of honorary president of the club and, as she still has her own significant shareholding in the club, she could at some point make a return to the board should she see fit to do so.

But whatever happens in the future Budge will be looked upon as a hero by the vast majority of Hearts fans as her time in charge, for the moment anyway, comes to an end.

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• Hearts have won their past three Scottish Premiership games against Kilmarnock, as many as their previous 15 beforehand (W3 D4 L8).

• Kilmarnock have only won one of their last five away Scottish Premiership games at Hearts (D2 L2), and could lose back-to-back such trips for the first time since December 2016.

• Hearts remain unbeaten in nine home league games (W7 D2) since a 1-0 defeat to Dundee in April. Hearts have conceded just six goals and kept five clean sheets in this unbeaten period.

• Kilmarnock have won just two of their past 19 away league games (D4 L13), losing each of their latest three in a row on the road each while conceding at least three goals.

• Hearts' Derek McInnes has lost just one of his last 31 top-flight league matches against former side Kilmarnock (W24 D6), going down 2-0 at home with Aberdeen in September 2018. He has won his last four against Killie without conceding.

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Hearts quartet Ageu, Beni Baningime, Calem Nieuwenhof and Finlay Pollock all remain sidelined with hamstring injuries.

Kilmarnock have an unchanged squad. Max Stryjek recently underwent heart surgery and remains out along with Kyle Magennis (knee), Jamie Brandon (ankle/groin), Djenairo Daniels (knee) and Matty Kennedy (hip).

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Derek McInnes wants more attacking directness from Hearts as they bid to end a three-game winless run.

Hearts have mustered just one victory in five, allowing Celtic to trim the lead at the top from nine points to two with a game in hand.

McInnes was irked at his players' reluctance to get the ball forward to their attackers in Saturday's 0-0 draw at Motherwell and is urging improvement against his former club.

"I just want us to try and be a wee bit more confident with our work, have a bit more belief about our work and a bit more aggressive with our work," the manager said in a club interview.

"We kept going round the houses and got ourselves bogged down (against Motherwell), so we need to try and engage with our strikers, play forward more and hopefully get our just reward. And Wednesday night gives us an opportunity."

Hearts are unbeaten at Tynecastle since April while Kilmarnock have slipped to second-bottom of the table after no victories in seven games.

McInnes knows his side must capitalise on home advantage in order to bolster morale ahead of Sunday's top-of-the-table showdown at Celtic Park.

"Saturday was another point on the road, which is decent shooting from us, but it's important to take care of your home games and hopefully we can do that against Kilmarnock," he said.

"They've got a lot of good players at Kilmarnock, they've got a good attacking threat. They've obviously struggled to keep clean sheets of late and struggled to perform, but that can easily turn.

"We need to be mindful of the fact that we've got to get back to what we do, regardless of who turns up, regardless of what Kilmarnock turn up. We've got to try and get back to what we want to do."

Greg Playfair
Fan writer

Our defence against Motherwell may have been as strong as the auld Castle Rock, but our forwards couldn't score and the talk now among Scottish football pundits is that Hearts' title tilt is idle.

The Hearts 'bubble bursting' meme has been out in the past few days as we now have only registered one victory in games following the 3-1 win against Celtic in late October.

Even bookmakers have us back as third favourites now behind the Old Firm. Derek McInnes said post-match a point against Motherwell is a good result but can you imagine the furore had Celtic interim boss Martin O'Neill or Rangers' Danny Rohl said similar?

That really says where we are at right now – I don't think Hearts are proven 'mentality monsters' like the Old Firm. When you're challenging for a league title, every point is a prisoner.

Hearts aren't experienced enough in these high-pressure situations and now we are seen as a scalp given our standing in the league table.

McInnes and the team deserve immense credit for the start so far, but if we have ambitions of ending the dominance the two Glasgow sides have had for decades, we need to bounce back this week with at least four points.

Kilmarnock are a bogey team for us at Tynecastle. In the past 10 contests in Gorgie, they've picked up five wins and three draws. And given they are winless in seven games, it has the feeling of a potential banana skin for us.

It'll be intriguing to see how Del uses the squad for this game while having one eye on the weekend trip to Celtic Park, which is likely to be Wilfried Nancy's first match in charge.

I would rather face the unknown Nancy in the Celtic dugout than Martin O'Neill, as he has absolutely revitalised that side.

Yet this is where the Hearts players must have the belief regardless of who they come up against - we will win the game if we execute our gameplan to perfection. We can't have the mindset that we 'need some Celtic players to underperform' to get something.

Clive Lindsay
BBC Sport Scotland

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Privately, Derek McInnes probably did not expect his Hearts side's stunning start to the season to continue without a hiccup or two.

However, the head coach probably also did not expect all his key forward players to go off the boil at the same time.

Hearts have still only lost twice in 19 outings this season - and just once in the league - but they have won just once in their latest five.

It means they entertain Kilmarnock on Wednesday with their lead narrowed to two points over a Celtic side who have a game in hand.

Most worrying of all, Hearts have found the net just once in their past three games - an own goal by United goalkeeper Yevhen Kucherenko from an Alexandros Kyziridis shot off a post - and have drawn blanks in the latest two.

Just as Hearts' form seemed to dip as soon as people began to take seriously their chances of mounting a title challenge, so have the goal contributions of Kyziridis, Claudio Braga and Pierre Landry Kabore after they were being lauded for the impact they have made since their summer arrivals.

Likewise, Lawrence Shankland's recall to the Scotland squad was quickly followed by the striker being overtaken at the top of the Premiership scoring charts by Motherwell's Tawanda Maswanhise.

McInnes will be looking for some leadership from his captain to turn around their fortunes and will see the visit of his former club as an ideal chance to do so.

Especially so considering Hearts' 3-0 win in the reverse fixture in October - in which Braga scored a double - started a sequence of six straight defeats for Stuart Kettlewell's side that was only ended by Saturday's 1-1 draw at home to United.

Read all the midweek Premiership picks