Why Hearts vs Celtic is kicking off at unusual time this Saturday as Scottish rivals handed late start

Celtic will be looking to remain top of the Scottish Premiership when they take on Hearts at an unusual time this weekend.

Brendan Rodgers' side have won 10 of their opening 11 games and now face a fierce clash against one of the SPFL's bottom teams.

The Hoops sit top of the table but they're level on points with Aberdeen and they will want to win to maintain their position.

Usually, this fixture can get pretty heated and that could be why it's been given a prime-time slot on Saturday...

Why is Hearts vs Celtic at 7:45pm?

The latest Saturday kick-off so far this season in the SPFL has been a 5:30pm or a 5:45pm game.

However, Hearts vs Celtic has been moved to 7:45pm, with Dundee vs Hibernian being placed in the usual later slot.

And that's down to the fact they will be shown live on TV.

The action will be shown live on Sky Sports Football after being selected for television broadcast.

Originally, Hearts vs Celtic was planned for a 3pm kick-off on Saturday, November 23.

But it was announced in September that the start time was going to be pushed back to 7:45pm due to TV coverage.

Typically, the Scottish matches shown on Sky Sports are given an early slot on a Saturday or they're on a Sunday.

However, this weekend, they are showing an English Championship game between Coventry and Sheffield United at 12:30pm.

Then on Sunday, there is also a full schedule of broadcasted action.

So, it is likely that due to the expected feisty nature of Hearts vs Celtic they've given it an evening slot to make sure fans can tune in.

Earlier this season, the two teams met at Celtic Park, with the hosts claiming the three points with a 2-0 win.

But that was the Hoops' first league victory in the fixture since October 2023, with Hearts winning two in a row after that.

Their SPFL form couldn't be more different this campaign though, and Celtic will be aiming to keep their unbeaten run going.

We will have updates of the latest news and reaction from the game across the talkSPORT network and on talkSPORT.com

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