In a corner of Celtic Park, a small pocket of around 750 fans will gather, hoping to witness a day many believed would never come. These are the lucky few who won the ballot for the tiny allocation of away tickets, as Hearts aim to make history by winning a first league title in 66 years. To underline the scale of their task, they will be outnumbered by roughly 80 to one. Backed by a home crowd of 60,000, Celtic need a win to secure a 14th title in 15 seasons, while Hearts require at least a draw to become the first team outside the Old Firm to be crowned champions since 1985.

Both teams control their own destiny heading into this final-day shootout. On paper, Celtic hold the advantage, but it would be fitting of Hearts' remarkable season if they can overturn the odds once more. "Sing as loud as you can," was the message from manager Derek McInnes, who has led his side to the brink of the unthinkable. "It'll be hard to hear them, but we'll know they are there. Going into that lion's den, even though we've been top of the league since September, we're still the underdog. For us to compete with Celtic, given their resources and financial power, is a huge effort. We look forward to it."

Hearts could have afforded to lose by two goals if reigning champions Celtic had been held to a draw by Motherwell on Wednesday. Instead, a hugely contentious late penalty—scored by Kelechi Iheanacho in the 99th minute—swung the race back in Celtic's favor. Hearts were still on the pitch when news from Fir Park filtered through after their 3-0 win over Falkirk, and the deflation was palpable. "It's hard not to feel that everybody felt a bit flat," McInnes admitted. "I heard there was a 96th-minute penalty... I didn't need to ask who for."

The planned lap of honor around Tynecastle—celebrating a season where Hearts went unbeaten at home and secured a spot in the Champions League preliminary rounds—felt muted as a result. Within minutes of full-time, McInnes looked to rally his troops. "It's us against everybody," he said. "That's been our mentality all season, and it's not going to change now."