Celtic legend Sir Kenny Dalglish feels his old side deserve to be crowned champions on Monday - but insists Hearts shouldn't have to suffer an early relegation.
An SPFL board meeting will be held on May 18 to officially call an end to the Premiership on a points-per-game basis.
That will see Celtic crowned champions for a ninth season in a row, while Hearts will be relegated barring any last-gasp reconstruction.
Writing in the Sunday Post, Dalglish said: "They have more points on the board than any other club, and even though Rangers, mathematically, could have caught them, it was very unlikely they would have overturned the 13-point deficit.
"To produce a high level of consistency over a period of nine months is not an easy thing to do, and to do it for nine consecutive years is extremely special.
"Captain Scott Brown has led his team by example, and he deserves huge credit.
"But I have great sympathy for Hearts, with the Edinburgh club relegated at the same time as Celtic get the title.
"I can fully understand why, with eight games to play, they feel that is unfair.
"Just four points behind Hamilton Accies when football went into lockdown, they certainly had enough games to play to claw it back.
"However, they don’t appear to be for giving up, and there now seems to be another call for them to come up with a plan for reconstruction for the start of the new campaign.
"But this does not sit well with me. A decision needs to be made that everyone abides by."
