Sunday’s visit of Aberdeen will be a good test of Beale’s managerial mettle. The Dons have won their past three matches and are unbeaten in five.
This weekend’s game will be a thrilling match-up between Heart of Midlothian and Celtic. Last time out, Hearts ended a six-game losing streak with a six-goal victory in their first home game under interim manager Steven Naismith. Celtic, on the other hand, are currently at the top of the table and have only lost once in the league this season. If they win this game, they will clinch the title. Since Ange Postecoglou took over as manager two seasons ago, Celtic have won their past eight meetings with Hearts, including 4-3 in the league in October and 3-0 in the Scottish Cup in March. Kyogo Furuhashi has been one of Postecoglou’s most successful signings, scoring in six of Celtic’s eight straight wins over Hearts. However, he has gone two matches without a goal. Hearts have their own goal machine in Lawrence Shankland, who grabbed his second hat-trick of the term last week.
Meanwhile, Michael Beale’s honeymoon phase at Ibrox is over. After starting with a 14-game unbeaten run, he has now lost three of his past four matches. Beale spoke of players “fighting for their futures” after the Scottish Cup semi-final defeat and his team selections over the remaining five league matches will be interesting to see. Sunday’s visit of Aberdeen will be a good test of Beale’s managerial mettle as the Dons have won their past three matches and are unbeaten in five.