The Scottish Premiership title race could be decided in a thrilling final-day clash between Heart of Midlothian and Celtic, following the announcement of post-split fixtures by the Scottish Professional Football League.
Hearts, the surprise leaders for much of the season, will travel to face Celtic in Glasgow on Saturday, May 16, in what could be a championship decider. The match is part of the top-six fixtures that conclude the league season.
"The SPFL normally tries to avoid what could often be a potential Old Firm title decider because of policing issues," the league noted, explaining why this season's final Glasgow derby between Celtic and Rangers has been scheduled for Sunday, May 10—the third-last set of fixtures.
However, Hearts' unexpected challenge has reshaped the title race. Derek McInnes' side, whose lead over Rangers was cut to just one point last weekend, will open their post-split schedule with an Edinburgh derby away to Hibernian on Sunday, April 26. They will then host Rangers on Monday, May 4.
Rangers' final league match will be a third visit to Falkirk, who have an extra home game due to a fixture imbalance from their expected bottom-half finish.
In the bottom half of the table, five teams face potential relegation battles. The final bottom-six fixtures are set for Sunday, May 17, featuring Dundee hosting Aberdeen, Kilmarnock visiting Livingston, and St Mirren entertaining Dundee United.
After this weekend's matches, the Premiership will take a two-week break for international fixtures before resuming on April 25. The remaining fixtures will be played over the weekends of May 2–3 and May 9–10, with midweek matches on May 12–13 leading into the dramatic final weekend.