Celtic

Charlotte Cohen
BBC Sport Scotland

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Brendan Rodgers says talks are under way aimed at securing "brilliant" Celtic forward Daizen Maeda on an extended contract.

The 27-year-old Japan international, whose current deal expires in summer 2027, has been in superb form this season, netting 28 goals in 42 appearances.

When asked about a new deal for the versatile forward, manager Rodgers said: "Absolutely, if there is that possibility to do that.

"I've spoken with [majority shareholder] Dermot [Desmond] and the club and spoken with the player. Hopefully in the future that is something that can be done.

"He's been absolutely brilliant for us this season. Wherever he's played, however he's played, he's had an amazing season. So of course you would love to tie up one of your best players."

However, Rodgers admits Maeda is being coy about where his future lies.

"He doesn't give away much, other than saying he's very happy," the boss added.

"But listen, I'm also under no illusions here. There are very few players that are going to do what Callum McGregor does, some of these players have a lifetime here, like James Forrest.

"Some players, especially those from other parts of the world, they might fancy a change. It's nothing to do with Celtic or the club or the support, it's just life. But all I can do is judge when he's here.

"He's been brilliant here. He's still contracted well here to the club. But of course there has been chats around improving that for him because he's grown into one of the top players here.

"He earns every penny. We feel as a club he deserves more. So we want to do that. But of course it has to work both ways."

Charlotte Cohen
BBC Sport Scotland

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Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has been speaking to the media before his side's home match against Hearts this weekend.

Here are the key points from his news conference:

• Kasper Schmeichel picked up a shoulder injury on international duty with Denmark but Rodgers doesn't yet know how long the goalkeeper will be out.

• He's confident Viljami Sinisalo is up to the challenge of filling in, saying the Finland international has the right "profile" to play out from the back.

• The Celtic boss says discussions are under way over a new deal for Japan forward Daizen Maeda, whose contract expires in summer 2027. Rodgers would "love" to tie Maeda down to a longer deal, saying: "He earns every penny, we feel as a club he deserves more."

• The Northern Irishman says disappointment has "lingered" from the defeat by Rangers before the international break, but he "won't forget what this team has done this season".

• Rodgers says "the club are dealing with" the situation surrounding Vaclav Cerny's water-squirting celebration in the derby. He adds that the Rangers winger's actions showed "a lack of respect".

• Paulo Bernardo, Callum McGregor, James Forrest and Auston Trusty are all available while Liam Scales is still training individually.

• Rodgers expects "a really good game" against Hearts and wants his side to "impose their authority" from the first minute.

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Viljami Sinisalo's last league start was 11 months ago on loan at Exeter City in a 2-1 defeat by Oxford in English League One.

On Saturday the Finland goalkeeper is set to be thrust into the Celtic starting line-up to replace Kasper Schemeichel, who has suffered a suspected shoulder injury on Denmark duty.

Sinisalo has featured just once for Celtic - in the 5-0 Scottish Cup rout of Raith Rovers in February - following his arrival from Aston Villa last summer.

So while the 23-year-old is largely an unknown quantity to Celtic fans, can he prove a safe pair of hands against Hearts on Saturday and beyond?

"The fact Schmeichel has been so dominant and so important for Celtic is one of the reasons we haven't seen Sinisalo this season," said Gemma Fay, the former Celtic and Scotland goalkeeper, on the BBC's Scottish football podcast.

"But as a goalkeeper, these are the types of situations which are more common than not. You often get your break by getting chucked in when there's an injury or a significant drop in form.

"He's a young lad, but if I'm him, I'd be seeing this as an opportunity to stake a claim for that position.

"We don't know how long Schmeichel is going to be out. Suspected shoulder injury, those are not things that heal quickly, especially in a goalkeeping position with the robustness you need in that part of your body.

"So depending on the severity, this could be Schmeichel for the rest of the season and Sinisalo has an opportunity to help Celtic secure the title and show Brendan Rodgers what he can do."

Andy Campbell
BBC Sport Scotland

Celtic remain comfortably on course for a fourth successive top-flight title, despite their home loss to Rangers last time out.

Brendan Rodgers' side hold a 13-point lead at the top of the division and will be champions if they win their next four matches.

Hearts, on the other hand, have work to do to secure a top-six place and challenge for Europe.

Winning at Celtic Park is a tall order. Hearts have lost 25 of their last 27 visits in all competitions.

But, under Steven Naismith, Hearts did enjoy a 2-0 away win over the champions last season and Rangers have shown Rodgers' men can be beaten in their own backyard.

Should Neil Critchley's team come away empty handed, it could have big ramifications. Hearts are sixth, a point above Motherwell, four points in front of St Mirren and Ross County and two points below Dundee United.

Read all the weekend Premiership picks

Celtic could be entitled to compensation related to goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel's injury on international duty with Denmark, believes former Fifa official Keith Hackett. (Football Insider), external

Read the rest of Friday's Scottish gossip.

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Celtic midfielder Paulo Bernardo is raring to go for the final run of games in the season after returning from a seven-week injury lay-off.

The Portugal Under-21 international, who suffered an ankle injury against Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup at the start of February, is back in contention for Brendan Rodgers' side when they face Hearts this weekend.

"I can play football again so I'm really excited for the coming weeks," Bernardo, 23, said.

"The injury was bad but I recovered very well and hopefully I can play from now on.

"It's been a while for me being off the pitch so probably not 90 minutes but I will do the best as I can if the coach wants me to play.

"It was bad when I saw the results of the scan because I thought it was a short time injured and it wasn't.

"I had the opportunity to recover well and to work on other things that I couldn't do during the season. It was a good time to recover and to do other things too."

Bernardo missed key games including the Champions League tie with Bayern Munich and derby loss to Rangers.

Celtic remain 13 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership though and are in the Scottish Cup semi-finals against St Johnstone, with the midfielder eager to "give it all" between now and the end of the campaign.

"We as a team still have some goals to achieve and we will try our best to do that as soon as possible," Bernardo added.

"For me personally, I want to have good games before the end of the season and do my best every game. Each opportunity that I have, I will try to give it all on the pitch."

• In all competitions, Celtic have won 13 of their past 15 meetings with Hearts, the exceptions being two 2-0 defeats in the league last season (December 2023, March 2024).

• Hearts have lost 25 of their past 27 away games at Celtic in all competitions (W1 D1), losing their latest two in a row without scoring.

• Celtic have lost two of their past four league games (W2), after having only suffered two defeats in their previous 46 in the Scottish Premiership beforehand (W38 D6).

• Hearts have won seven of their 10 league games in 2025 (D1 L2), with only Celtic and Rangers (both eight) winning more times in the Premiership this calendar year so far.

• Daizen Maeda has scored in each of his past seven league starts for Celtic (nine goals); it's the longest run of consecutive scoring starts by any player in the Scottish Premiership since Kevin van Veen netted in 11 in a row from March to May 2023, and the longest by a Celtic player since Anthony Stokes scored in seven in succession from April to August 2014.

Celtic are set to offer Daizen Maeda a new contract amid growing interest in the Japan forward, with the 27-year-old's current deal running out in the summer of 2027. (Scottish Sun), external

Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel will miss "a few weeks" as a minimum after picking up a shoulder injury on international duty, according to Denmark manager Brian Riemer. (Ekstra Bladet via Daily Record, external)

Read the rest of Thursday's Scottish gossip.

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Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland

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With Celtic sweating over the fitness of Kasper Schmeichel, we have crunched the numbers to look at how big a loss the goalkeeper would be.

The 38-year-old has suffered a suspected shoulder injury while on international duty with Denmark, but it remains to be seen how long he faces out.

What is clear, though, is the positive impact the veteran keeper has had on Brendan Rodgers' side since his summer arrival.

The Dane boasts the Scottish Premiership's top save percentage (77%) and has conceded an average of just 0.67 goals per game, which is also the best in the league.

Schmeichel's ability with the ball at his feet has drawn praise and his passing accuracy of 94% backs this up. The next best ranked keeper in the division is Rangers' Jack Butland with 77%.

Many will perhaps feel those numbers should be expected from a Celtic goalie, but the stats are sizeable upgrades on Joe Hart's save percentage (68%) and passing accuracy (88%) from last season.

They are also improvements on the numbers Viljami Sinisalo, who is expected to deputise in Schmeichel's absence, posted while on loan at Exeter City from Aston Villa last term.

The 23-year-old, who has played just once for Celtic since signing last summer, had a save percentage of 70% in England's League One.

However, the Finland international was kept far busier at Exeter than he ever will be playing for Celtic, which he could soon realise if Schmeichel faces a spell out.

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland

What if the Scottish Premiership was decided on overperforming your expected goals (xG) rating?

You're rolling your eyes, aren't you? Fair enough, but the above graphic still paints an interesting picture.

In the second column you will see each team's current xG tally after 30 games, but the table is sorted based on the third column, which shows how much each side has overperformed or underperformed by.

For example, the chances leaders Celtic have created throughout the season suggests they should have scored around 77 goals, but Brendan Rodgers' side have surpassed that tally with an overperformance of almost 12 goals.

Remarkably, Dundee have overperformed their xG total of 34 by 11 goals. If Tony Docherty's side could sort out their defensive issues, it's safe to assume they wouldn't be fighting for survival.

It's the opposite for Kilmarnock, with their underperformance of 5.5 showing they have struggled to take their chances. Addressing that is key if Derek McInnes wants to pull his side away from the bottom.

Other underperformers include Hibernian, Dundee United and Ross County, while the remainder of the teams in the division appear to be fairly steady.

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

As any professional athlete will tell you, peaking at the right time can be a tricky business. You target your big goal, work back from there, and set 'mini-peaks' to get you in the best possible shape when you really need to be.

For Celtic this term, the aim was progress in Europe. Their best performance of the season was arguably in the Allianz Arena last month when they very nearly beat Bayern Munich.

That was peak Celtic and they've not quite been the same since. When you've achieved what you set out to do, a drop-off in form, energy and motivation is almost inevitable.

The levels reached in Munich were enough to give Harry Kane, Jamal Musiala and head coach Vincent Kompany a real scare. Maintaining those standards in a domestic league that you've dominated from start to finish isn't easy.

Celtic have done a good enough job on all fronts, but the wear and tear is beginning to tell. Defeat to Hibs on their return from Munich. Defeat at home to Rangers for the first time in over four years.

The signs are there that after 47 games, Celtic are looking a little laboured as they come up the home straight. Have they got one final push left in them to do the job in style? Or will they breach the tape without a flourish?

There are only so many times you can go to the well. Standout stalwarts in defence like Alastair Johnston and Cameron Carter-Vickers have looked a little out of sorts lately.

Winger Nicolas Kuhn's form has dipped dramatically from the stellar levels that helped him bag 16 goals by the turn of the year.

Callum McGregor played 108 games in the past two completed seasons. He's already clocked up 44 this term. It's little wonder his body is starting to feel the strain.

There's plenty of food for thought for the manager as he plots the way forward to what he hopes will be another domestic clean sweep. St Johnstone block his path to yet another Scottish Cup final.

The Premiership will be all but done and dusted if he can successfully navigate a trip to play struggling Saints in between home games against Hearts and Kilmarnock.

He'll hope injuries to centre-backs Auston Trusty and Liam Scales aren't too serious. The same goes for the problem goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has picked up on Denmark duty.

Where the manager will earn his money in the remaining few fixtures will be the manner in which Celtic finish. Even though the goals have still been coming in big numbers - five against Aberdeen, the same against St Mirren, two against Rangers in defeat - the fast, high-pressing, free-flowing football of earlier in the season has dropped off a couple of notches.

Celtic started slowly last season then came to the boil nicely in the last dozen matches. This time around, they began extremely well, got the bulk of the job done early, and are now looking to find a second wind.

Rodgers also needs to make sure the group is strengthened in the summer by the kind of quality additions that mean he won't need to be overly reliant on a favoured few.

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Denmark's players union is demanding an apology from a journalist following criticism of Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel while the 38-year-old was on international duty. (Sun), external

Comments about Schmeichel's weight are "way over the line", says union rep Michael Sahl Hansen. (Record), external

Viljami Sinisalo, 23, is expected to make his Celtic league debut on Saturday against Hearts, with Schmeichel set to miss out injured. (Sun), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish gossip