Scottish Premiership title race: Key Opta stats show why Celtic will inevitably win league title

Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version from Football Insider or go back to LFC Live.

Credit: IMAGO Fri 24 April 2026 11:30, UK With the Scottish Premiership set to get back underway this weekend, Celtic face a massive few weeks if they are going to win the title.Rangers, Hearts and the Hoops now have five games to secure their place at the summit in what has been a fantastic title race to date.As it stands, Celtic are deemed the least likely to come away with the trophy, despite being just three points off the top.However, there are plenty of stats provided by Opta on 23 April that suggest the trophy will be returning to Celtic Park this season.Celtic are on the hunt for their 56th Scottish Premiership title, which would see them overtake Rangers. ⚽ Celtic Matchday ⚽ >Team news, line-ups, expert previews and verdicts, and tactical analysis for every Hoops fixture. VISIT THE CELTIC MATCH HUB MORE FOOTBALL INSIDER STORIES Celtic have the highest expected points in the Scottish PremiershipWhile Opta have given Celtic little chance of lifting the trophy so far this season, there are plenty of stats that suggest they will.Perhaps the biggest is their expected points.

To date, the Hoops have an expected points total of 68, by far the highest in the division.Scottish Premiership title winner Opta’s predictions Rangers 47%Hearts35%Celtic18%Rangers are the favourites to win the titleCeltic are only just below this, standing on 67 points before their tie against Falkirk.In comparison, Rangers and Hearts have vastly overperformed their expected points.The Gers are expected to be on 61.3, yet sit on 69 points. Likewise, Hearts should be on 56.7, but instead sit on 70 points.However, this proves that Hearts and Rangers are in a false position, and it is likely that they slip up over the coming weeks.

This could give Celtic the opportunity to swoop in and take the title, something that should be possible given that Opta believes they should already be well clear at the summit.How tough are Celtic’s post-split fixtures?Aberdeen’s former chief, Keith Wyness, has criticised Ally McCoist’s blasting of the SPFL over the schedule of the post-split fixtures to Football Insider.The Rangers legend claimed that Celtic were running Scottish football, with the Hoops given a home tie against Hearts to end the season.Yet, according to Opta, Rangers actually have the easiest post-split fixtures of the three teams.The supercomputer has insisted that their opponents have an average rating of 77.4, compared to Celtic’s 77.6.In comparison, Hearts have the toughest run-in at 78.0, with the club facing a difficult task if they want to win their first league title since 1960.