How many points do Hearts need to win the Scottish Premiership? | OneFootball

We’ve moved one step closer to Celtic and Rangers‘ duopoly over the Scottish Premiership finally coming to an end after Hearts’ massive comeback victory on Monday. But you’d be a fool to hedge your bets just yet.

It had looked to be a three-horse race for the ages between Celtic, Rangers and Hearts with barely anything between them after the initial round-robin phase of the season.

When Rangers led at half-time at Tynecastle, the live table had just one point separating the three teams heading into the final stretch. But Hearts’ spirited second-half fightback, and eventual 2-1 win, now sees Danny Rohl’s Rangers effectively out of the race.

“I think there’s no question mark – we’re in a really difficult situation now,” Rohl conceded after the defeat leaves them seven points off league leaders Hearts with just three games left to play.

“I see a lot of improvements but it is maybe not good enough to win the title this year.

“We still have nine points to play for and from this moment I push them again in the right direction.”

Rangers might not win the title, but they can have a massive say in who does – they host Celtic, who are three points behind Hearts, this weekend. Derek McInnes’ Jam Tarts could be six points clear, after going away to Motherwell, by the time Sunday’s mouth-watering Old Firm clash kicks off.

Hearts are now the odds-on favourites with the bookmakers to win the title, which would make them the first club from outside the Old Firm to do so since Sir Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen way back in 1984-85. Nobody under the age of 40 has seen a club not named Celtic or Rangers win the Scottish title.

But Celtic do still have their fate in their own hands, having kept the pace with back-to-back victories over Hibernian and Falkirk.

If they win their last three matches, including against Hearts, they’ll likely win a fifth successive title, as well as 14 of the last 15 – although that’s also dependent on overhauling a five-point goal difference gap on the current league leaders.

Should they beat Rangers and Motherwell, Celtic will know they have a chance of lifting the trophy when they host Hearts on the final day. Mark Saturday, May 16th as a date in your diaries.

Regardless of looking over their shoulder or thinking about results elsewhere, Hearts know that seven points – regardless of against who, or what happens elsewhere – will be enough for them to claim the title.

If they can beat Motherwell and Falkirk, they’ll know that a draw at Celtic Park in their last game would be enough to make it over the line. A defeat by a one or two-goal margin might even be enough, as long as the goal difference remains as it is now.

Five points out of nine would even be enough, as long as that includes a draw against Celtic. Lose one of the next two matches, or draw both, and Hearts would likely need to go to Celtic and win in order to claim the title. Gulp.

On the flipside, any points that Celtic drop between now and then, you can effectively subtract those from what Hearts need. Should Celtic fail to beat Rangers this weekend, Hearts could be in the enviable position of knowing their trip to Glasgow is effectively a dead rubber. They could seal the title with a game to spare against Falkirk on the evening of Wednesday, May 13th.

The best title race in Europe has gone from a three-horse race to a two-horse race, but it remains a dead heat.