Callum Osmand, the striker whose late goal clinched the Scottish Premiership for Celtic last season, believes Heart of Midlothian are ready to push the champions all the way again. The 20-year-old, now a Heart of Midlothian player, looks ahead to Sunday's return to Celtic Park where a victory would cut the gap at the top to just two points.

Osmand came on as a substitute for Celtic on the final day of last season and scored the decisive second goal in a 3-1 win. That strike on May 16 sparked a pitch invasion and ended Heart of Midlothian' remarkable title challenge, denying them a first top-flight crown in 66 years after they had spent 250 days at the summit. "Yeah, I think you always have to," Osmand said of Heart of Midlothian' ability to compete. "Obviously, what they've done last season was amazing."

From title hero to Tynecastle competitor

Osmand's journey since that moment has been one of change and challenge. He joined Celtic's first team from Fulham's Under-23s but later moved to Heart of Midlothian, where he now battles for minutes with new signings Kasper Hogh, Camilo Duran and on-loan Chelsea forward Shim Mheuka. His time in Edinburgh has been interrupted by injury, including a seven-month hamstring issue and an ankle problem in August, but he has featured on the left wing for manager Wouter Vrancken's side.

The prize at Parkhead

Heart of Midlothian travel to Glasgow sitting third in the Premiership with 16 points from eight games, a record of five wins, one draw and two defeats. Their recent form reads two wins, two draws and one loss from the last five, a sequence that includes a 5-0 thrashing of St Mirren and a 1-1 Europa Conference League draw with FC Nordsjaelland on Thursday. A win on Sunday would reduce the five-point deficit to Celtic to two and, significantly, secure back-to-back league victories at Parkhead for the first time since 2007. Heart of Midlothian won 2-1 there last December before the title decider in May.

"I think it could be a different challenge," Osmand added. "I think it's a tough game against them." Celtic have lost four of their last five matches, equalling their defeats from the previous 36 games combined, but will welcome Jota back into their squad. They remain without Cameron Carter-Vickers, Alistair Johnston and Yang Hyun-jun, while captain Callum McGregor anchors their midfield and Kieran Tierney is available at left-back.

Heart of Midlothian will be without the injured trio of Blair Spittal, Craig Halkett and Tom Renaud. The team's top scorer this season is J. McPake with three goals, and they will look to build on a solid defensive record of just eight goals conceded in the league. The match kicks off on Sunday, 18 October, with Heart of Midlothian aiming to prove their title credentials once more.

This story first appeared at Daily Record Football