Hearts, Rangers, Celtic – who will lead Premiership by end of Sunday?Image source, SNSImage caption, Three points separate Hearts, Rangers and Celtic with five games leftByThomas DuncanBBC Sport ScotlandPublished41 minutes agoThe Scottish Premiership split has happened and the title race kicks on in earnest. Three teams – Heart of Midlothian, Rangers and Celtic – separated by three points and fighting to be crowned champions.They will now face each other, along with the rest of the top six, over the next three weeks or so to determine who is the best team in Scotland.Given there have only been three times the top three have all won their matches on the same weekend, the advice is to expect the unexpected.But let’s have a stab at looking ahead to an epic weekend.Celtic look to strike first blowChampions Celtic are third and trail leaders Hearts by three points – uncharted territory for the country’s dominant force for the last two decades.However, given they play first this weekend – at home to Falkirk on Saturday (17:30 BST) – they have the opportunity to apply some early pressure.Their chances of drawing level at the top, at least on paper, appear good despite falling well short of their usual standards in a rancorous and disjointed season.Celtic have defeated sixth-placed Falkirk four times in four meetings this term, with the Bairns’ solitary goal coming in a 4-1 League Cup defeat in August.John McGlynn’s men have been more competitive in those games than the scorelines suggest, but nonetheless Celtic would have every right to be confident.Celtic fans will be refreshing their feeds for team news, looking to see if Kelechi Iheanacho and James Forrest have earned a starting berth.The pair were decisive in Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final, coming off the bench to help their team score four times in six minutes to see off St Mirren in extra-time.
Not having a reliable striker has been a weakness all season, so might Iheanacho put fitness issues behind him and step up when Celtic need him most?
