LONDON, May 14 (Reuters) - The destination of Scotland's Premiership title will be decided at Parkhead on Saturday when Celtic need victory to become champions for the 56th time while Hearts will take the crown for the first time in 66 years and fifth in all if they win or draw.
Those are the bald facts, but they barely hint at the weight of history hanging over the fixture or reveal any of the drama and fury generated by Wednesday's nerve-shredding penultimate round of fixtures.
Nobody other than Celtic or Rangers have won the league since Aberdeen in 1985 but, as every generation of Hearts fans knows, that domination could, and should, have started a year later.
In 1986 Hearts went into the final day needing only a draw against Dundee to take the honours and were on course for that with seven minutes remaining - only to concede late goals in a 2-0 defeat. At the same time Celtic hammered St Mirren 5-0 to take the title on goal difference, leaving the Edinburgh side devastated.
This season, Hearts have led the league since September, leaving their long-suffering fans to dream that, finally, this is their moment.
However, a nervous run-in allowed Celtic, revitalised after the return of former manager Martin O'Neill as stand-in boss, to close the gap, culminating in Wednesday's extraordinary drama.
Hearts beat Falkirk 3-0 and for a while that would have been enough to make them champions, as Celtic trailed at Motherwell. The defending champions hit back to lead 2-1 but a late Motherwell equaliser meant that, with Hearts' superior goal difference, Celtic would have had to win Saturday's decider by at least three goals to leapfrog their rivals.
Disaster - for Hearts - then struck deep into stoppage time when Celtic were awarded a controversial penalty for handball, via VAR, which Kelechi Iheanacho coolly slotted in to change the picture again and keep his side in with a great chance of destroying Hearts' dreams by claiming their 14th title in 15 years.
Hearts manager Derek McInnes called the decision "disgusting" and, following the well-trodden lament that everything is geared to help the Old Firm, added: "I heard there was a 96-minute penalty - I didn't need to ask who for."
Scotland's Daily Record newspaper ran a feature on Thursday entitled "World media reacts with seething anger to 'worst VAR decision ever.'"
'FINAL SHOWDOWN'
McInnes and his players, however, now need to put Wednesday's emotional roller coaster behind them and try to focus on playing the football that has brought glory so tantalisingly close.
They beat Celtic home and away in October and December, while the teams fought out a 2-2 Tynecastle draw in their last meeting in January.
Setting their stall out for another draw is a policy obviously fraught with danger, though Hearts are a dangerous counter-attacking team so remaining organised and showing patience while waiting for their opportunities to break is likely to be their approach on Saturday.
"They (Celtic) have been very fortunate and we have to realise we're up against everything," McInnes said, while also praising O'Neill for the job he has done turning around their season.
"So, sometimes in life, you've just got to go and beat the champion again and take what you want to be yours and that's what it looks like we're going to have to do. We don't need to win, but we certainly need to go down there and put in a performance and it's set up perfectly.
"The fact that we get that final showdown game is perfect for Scottish football. The drama, the excitement, the spotlight on that, it couldn't be built any better."
(Reporting by Mitch Phillips, editing by Christian Radnedge)
