Can Hearts really challenge Old Firm for title?

Come the end of Sunday, Hearts could be eight points clear of defending champions Celtic at the summit after the Scottish Premiership's top two meet at Tynecastle.

As recently as August, Tony Bloom was widely mocked when he asserted Hearts had a "very good chance of at least being second" this season, such is the difficulty of not only splitting the Old Firm, but toppling them entirely.

Now though - nearly a quarter of the way through the season - the Tynecastle investor's words look prophetic. Since then, Hearts have taken 22 points from 24 and appear to be growing in both confidence and stature with every passing game.

It is in stark contrast to the mood at Celtic, where supporters are staging weekly protests against the club's board, and manager Brendan Rodgers openly criticised the quality of his squad after Sunday's defeat at Dundee.

Rangers, meanwhile, trail Hearts by 13 points, with new head coach Danny Rohl left to pick up the pieces left after Russell Martin's dismal 123-day reign.

Rarely are the Old Firm so vulnerable to a challenge from outside Glasgow and rarely is a team as well equipped to take up the mantle as Hearts are.

But are McInnes' side legitimate title contenders or is this the latest false dawn since Alex Ferguson's Aberdeen won the title in 1985?

One only has to remember last season for a reason to urge caution.

Aberdeen also had 22 points at this stage before a spectacular collapse meant they fell away, eventually finishing fifth, 39 points behind Celtic.

Go back further, and Hearts fans will remember all too well their magnificent start to the 2005-06 season under George Burley.

At one stage they led Celtic by eight points, admittedly having played a game more. Burley was dismissed soon after that, though, and Hearts finished second.

The difference between then and now is that, barring something unexpected, McInnes is going nowhere and few managers know Scottish football better than the former Aberdeen and Kilmarnock boss.

"Derek McInnes finds a way to win," former Motherwell captain Stephen Craigan said. "He doesn't have an ego about how he wants his team to play. He knows what it takes and he's got the squad to do it."

It is difficult to get away from the differing atmospheres at the Premiership's top two before they go head-to-head for the first time this season on Sunday.

Hearts have already beaten Rangers at Ibrox, but were they to defeat Celtic in front of their own fans and move eight points clear, the hype would reach new heights.

"I think Hearts can win the title, I really do," former Celtic striker Chris Sutton said on the BBC's Monday Night Club.

"Partly because of the way they have recruited, partly because of the manager, partly because of their form, and partly because of the way Celtic and Rangers are playing.

"I don't see a way out for Rangers and Celtic until January. Hearts don't have European football to contend with - there's a lot of things pointing in their favour."

Hearts have scored more goals than any other side in the division (19), including a league-high seven from set pieces.

They have the joint-second most shots (46) on target in the league, only behind Hibernian, and have the best conversion rate (15.3%).

Defensively, only Celtic (5) have conceded fewer and only the reigning champions (6.14) better Hearts' expected-goals against tally (6.72).

They rank better than Rangers, who were humbled by Norway's Brann in the Europa League on Thursday, in nearly every department except possession and passes completed.

"If you're a Hearts fan going into the Celtic game next week, the expectation is 'we can do them'," said former Rangers forward Steven Thompson on Sportsound.

"That shift in psyche is great. I don't see it diminishing and I think they will be there or thereabouts for a long period of time."

Despite the rampant optimism surrounding Hearts, Michael Stewart is not yet convinced his former club have got what it takes to pull off the improbable and take the title away from Glasgow for the first time in 40 years.

"Hearts have got a wonderful opportunity to land a hefty blow on Celtic," he said. "The potential of going eight points clear after nine games is quite incredible.

"Of course they have a chance to win the title. Are they going to do it? I don't think so, realistically.

"What's apparent is they have a real opportunity of getting second. I think they are favourites for that. "

Much has been made of Bloom's investment and Hearts' access to his Jamestown Analytics company to aid their recruitment strategy.

Claudio Braga and Alexandros Kyziridis both arrived as total unknowns - signed from Norweigian second division side Aalesunds and Zemplin Michalovce in Slovakia, respectively.

But they have taken the division by storm - Braga is joint top of the scoring charts and Kyziridis leads the division's assisters.

A more familiar face in Stuart Findlay has slotted seamlessly into the backline and provided a goal threat from set pieces along with fellow centre-back Craig Halkett.

In goal, Alexander Schwolow joined on a free transfer after leaving Union Berlin and has kept four consecutive clean sheets since replacing Zander Clark.

"Players are desperate to get in that team," former Scotland striker Thompson added. "They are entertaining in forward areas, but defensively they are brilliant.

"All the signs are there that it isn't going to be like Aberdeen last season where they capitulated. They will lose games, but I can't see them losing two or three in a row and dropping like a stone.

"If they get to January still in the mix, I think they will strengthen again because these situations don't come around too often.

"You look at Hearts' front two of Braga and Lawrence Shankland, and you look at Rangers and even Celtic, there's an argument you would take Braga and Shankland."

On the other hand, Celtic's transfer business has been endlessly scrutinised by fans and pundits alike, with the consensus being that the champions are weaker than they were last season.

There is an imbalance to Rodgers' squad, most notably out wide, with most of his wingers preferring to play off the left.

Arne Engels has only started five of 14 matches this season, Jota is a long-term injury absentee, and none of the summer arrivals appear to have the quality of the departed Nicolas Kuhn and Kyogo Furuhashi.

There was a sense Rodgers already had one eye on the January window as he bemoaned the lack of quality available to him after Sunday's defeat at Dundee. Celtic bounced back with Thursday's Europa League win over Austria's Sturm Graz, but lost Kelechi Iheanacho and Alistair Johnston to injury.

"We lost a lot of firepower, a lot of goals out on the team," he said.

"And there's no way you'll go into a race and be given the keys to a Honda Civic and say, 'I want you to drive it like a Ferrari'. It's not going to happen.

"Until something changes, I have to find the solutions."

However, Stewart is not convinced the January window will bring the solutions Rodgers is searching for.

"Yes, they will have one eye on January, but we've been through a bigger transfer window in the summer and it was an absolute debacle," Stewart said on Sportscene.

"It's a concern for them. The negativity, the lack of synergy and the lethargy in the transfer window has manifested itself in the team and the performances.

"Celtic are in a rut and Brendan Rodgers has a big job on his hands to get them out of that."