Celtic v Hearts LIVE: Scottish Premiership title goes down to final day as Derek McInnes makes huge call on Claudio Braga

“We may not win it, but what we have done is that we have fought really impressively, I think, throughout these last number of weeks,” said the Celtic boss.

“I think the players have shown enormous character to keep fighting right to the very, very end, and they’ve done that again. It could go either way, could go any way, but at least we’ve taken it to the final game.”

Here’s a reminder of how today’s fixture could play out and what it would mean.

Hearts: If Hearts win, they win the title. If Hearts draw, they win the title. But if they lose, it will now be Celtic’s championship.

Celtic: It’s simple for Celtic. They must beat Hearts on Saturday.

“We can get a result here, they’ve played us three times and not beaten us. We’re playing the same 11 players we’ve beaten this season. We look relaxed, focus in what we’re trying to do. The performances have been here all season, that’s why we’ve got a shot at the time. Two good teams, Celtic have found their form of late.

“It’s so difficult to pay for a draw, for me, the intention is to be secure, don’t give encouragement. We have to show ourselves, attacking, as well as defend.

“I think the game could be open at times, you’ll see a lot of opportunities.”

The fans are excited and ready for this massive meeting at Parkhead this afternoon.

One of these teams will be lifting the Scottish Premiership trophy at the end of the game but who will it be?

In a corner of Celtic Park, a small pocket of around 750 fans will gather in the hope of witnessing a day many believed would never come. They will be the lucky few successful in the ballot for the tiny allocation of away tickets as Hearts attempt to make history and win a first league title in 66 years.

As if to underline the size of their collective task, they will be outnumbered by around 80 to one. Backed by a home crowd of 60,000, Celtic need any sort of win to lift a 14th title in 15 seasons, while Hearts require at least a draw to become the first team outside of the Old Firm to be crowned champions since 1985.

The tiny allocation of Hearts supporters at Celtic Park can barely be heard against the pre-match DJ and home fans as the visitors emerge onto the pitch for their warm-ups, writes The Independent’s Jamie Braidwood at Celtic Park.

Captain Lawrence Shankland makes his way over to applaud the 750 or so lucky enough to be here. Derek McInnes said this week that they will instead think about the many thousands following in Edinburgh.

There are then loud boos as the Hearts players head over to the opposite corner to warm up in front of Celtic’s Green Brigade, which feels a bold choice.

“It’s important now that we have that one big performance in us to try and get over the line and get the title won. The confidence I feel in the players is so strong. We have to go there with courage, with belief and be bullish.

“It’ll be bedlam, it’ll be an unbelievable atmosphere. There might be people out there who think everything’s back on script, ‘Celtic win their home game, they win the league’.“But we’ve ripped the script up so often this season, and we’ve got one more in us I think, and it’s up to us to try and make that happen.

“Regardless of what happens tomorrow, it has been a brilliant campaign, but it could be the most special campaign.

“With the records broken internally as a club, and what we’ve done this season, I think they’ll always be regarded as a special team. But obviously if we want to elevate that, we have to go and win it.

“It’s up to us to try and create our own history and our own legacy with a big performance.”

“Sometimes in life you’ve just got to go and beat the champion again and take what you want to be yours, whether it’s boxing or any sort of sport,” Hearts boss McInnes said. “So that’s what it looks like we’re gonna have to do. We don’t need to win, but certainly need to get down there and put in a performance. It’s set up perfectly.”

According to betting sites Celtic are the favourites to win the game and, as a result, the Scottish title.

Celtic to win – 4/6

Draw – 57/17

Hearts to win – 9/2

The last year that neither Celtic or Rangers won the Scottish title was 1985 when Sir Alex Ferguson won his third title with Aberdeen.

Fergie has also given advice to Hearts boss Derek McInnes throughout this season so can McInnes emulate him and break the Old Firm dominance?

Hearts only need to avoid defeat this afternoon to clinch a historic title.