Maeda has hit form at the perfect time for Celtic, scoring 6 goals in his last 5 matches.

He’s a livewire on the pitch, and that intensity is also reflected in his fouls data.

He has committed at least 1 foul in 26 of the 31 matches he’s started, including 6 fouls in last Sunday’s Old Firm clash.

Against Hearts, he committed 3 fouls in the December meeting and 5 in the January meeting.

Claudio Braga has been Hearts’ standout player this season, registering 14 goals and 3 assists.

He’s also someone to watch in the fouls market, with 60 fouls committed and 56 fouls won across 37 appearances.

Braga has committed at least 1 foul in 34 of those matches, while recording 2 or more fouls in 16 of them.

He has committed a foul in each of Hearts’ three meetings with Celtic this season already, and given the magnitude of this match, I expect him to commit at least 2 fouls here.

Devlin is the midfield anchor for Hearts, operating in the holding role in front of the defence and tasked with breaking up play.

He has committed 41 fouls in 26 starts this season and has picked up 5 yellow cards in the process.

This will be his third meeting with Celtic this season, and he has committed 2 fouls in each of the previous two encounters, collecting a yellow card in one of them.

With another frantic and high-intensity match expected, Devlin should be heavily involved throughout. I expect him to commit a couple of fouls here, and hopefully for our sake, pick up a booking in the process.

Engels is set to be right in the middle of the midfield battle with Cammy Devlin.

The 22-year-old has been heavily involved in recent matches, committing 12 fouls across his last 5 appearances, highlighting how willing he is to get stuck into the battle when it matters most.

His foul numbers against Rangers this season read: 3, 2, 3, a clear indication that in matches of greater intensity and importance, he tends to rack up fouls.

Against Hearts this season, his foul totals are 1, 0, and 2, while he has also been shown a yellow card in two of those meetings.

Celtic’s defensive record in recent weeks has been something of a weakness, despite their outstanding run of form, and for that reason, Hearts look a strong bet to at least get on the scoresheet on Saturday.

The Hoops have only kept one clean sheet across their last 13 Premiership matches. This was against a St Mirren side bound for the relegation playoff, which has the poorest scoring record by some distance in the league.

Hearts, meanwhile, have typically found a way to break down Celtic each time they have played them previously this season. They have scored at least two goals in all three previous matches with the Glasgow side and have also netted in 21 of their last 23 league outings.

The Jambos have been in particularly good scoring form of late, scoring 2+ goals in five of their last six games.

Scotland’s Player of the Year has been a thorn in Celtic’s side previously. He has scored in each of the last two games that Hearts have played against the Parkhead side and is likely to be a sizeable factor in this match, even if his form lately has not been what it was earlier in the season.

Braga has seven shots on target across the three games that Hearts have had with Celtic previously this season, having at least one in each match. Indeed, he has more shots on target this season (45) than any other Hearts player, while he also posts a higher rate (1.42 per 90) than any other Jambo.

Prior to the draw in Motherwell, he had posted at least one shot on target in 14 of his previous 15 Premiership outings for McInnes’ side, with a high shot rate (3.15 per 90) giving him ample opportunities to do this.

Yang has quietly established himself as one of Celtic’s players to watch on the big occasion, having accumulated eight league goals this season – the 3rd highest figure among all the players at the Parkhead side.

The South Korean has been increasingly used in an attacking role in his five starts against Rangers and Hearts, and has three goals and five shots on target. Of these matches, four were played under O’Neill, during which he has had seven shots and five on target.

In particular, his lively display last weekend against the Ibrox club should give him a lot of belief that he can be a difference-maker in this game. He is set to be used similarly on Saturday, and with Celtic needing to score at least one goal, he is a player who is likely to be prominent.