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Hearts v Hibernian
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Kick Off: Thursday 26th December at 12:30
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Competition: Scottish Premiership
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Watch Live: Sky Sports Main Event
Hearts and Hibs would not have expected to be so poorly placed when the Boxing Day derby rolled around, yet both Edinburgh clubs find themselves in the lower half of the table.
The Jambos have already changed managers this season yet Neil Critchley has failed to revive their fortunes, with the Tynecastle club struggling for consistency and dumped embarrassingly out of Europe.
Hibs have been going a little better in recent weeks and produced arguably their best performance of the season in beating Aberdeen at the weekend, setting this game up nicely for the visiting side.
⭐ Hearts v Hibernian Best Bets
Hibs look undervalued coming into this game given that they have picked up 3 wins in their last 4 matches and produced their best football of the season against Aberdeen in a 3-1 victory at the weekend.
Hearts have been hopelessly unpredictable this season and have won back-to-back league matches only once since the middle of February, underlining how prolonged their slump has been.
The Edinburgh derby, meanwhile, has a habit of being closely fought. Hibs have only lost 1 of the last 6, albeit 4 of these have been drawn, including each of the last couple.
Hearts v Hibernian Predicted XI
It’s hard to look past both teams getting on the scoresheet in this encounter.
Hibs are a regular Both Teams to Score side. From their last 8 league matches, 6 have ended with goals at either end. This is testimony to a struggling defence but also an attack that is potentially among the strongest in the league.
Hearts’ games also tend to produce goals at either end, with 9 of their last 13 doing so.
4 of the last 5 matches between these teams have seen both clubs net.
🔍 Hearts v Hibernian Player to Watch
🟢 Martin Boyle
Martin Boyle was expected to be a key figure for Hibs this season but has found himself on the bench for much of the last month and a half. The Australia international attacker was recalled to the forefront of the attack to face Motherwell and turned in an excellent display that saw him score 1 and create 2 of the Hibees’ goals.
He scored both goals for Hibs in a 2-0 Boxing Day victory over their rivals at Tynecastle back in 2019 and will be seeking to reprise that performance in this encounter.
🟢 Nicky Cadden
With neither of these sides boasting an in-form goal scorer, backing a long shot could be the best route to profit.
Cadden is Hibs’ top scorer this season in the league with 4 and comes into this game after netting against Aberdeen at the weekend. He has scored 0.53 goals per 90, which makes the lengthy odds on him netting in this game look particularly tempting.
He stands joint second in terms of shots in the league for Hibs (25) and second outright in terms of shots on target (11).
Mykola Kukharevych, who leads both these categories, is out injured.
📂 Hearts v Hibernian Cheat Sheet
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💻 Hearts v Hibernian Form and Tactics
Hearts have been hugely frustrating to watch this season. Having impressed in finishing third in the Premiership last season, there were real hopes they could build on that form but instead, they just look a confused outfit that is lacking direction.
Offensively, they have been particularly poor, although the Jambos have netted 2 goals in each of their last 3 home matches. Still, they tend to be ponderous, lacking penetration and pace. Often, they spend long periods in possession but struggle to get in behind their opponents to seriously stretch them.
Left-back James Penrice often looks like their most dangerous creative player and on Sunday he scored his first league goal for the club. He is one of their few success stories this season.
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Consequently, Hearts have won only 4 league games, 3 of which have been at home. If they could get Lawrence Shankland to produce anything like the form he showed last season as he scored 24 league goals, a big part of their problem would be solved, yet he instead looks bereft of confidence and has just 3 strikes to his credit.
Like Hearts, Hibs are a squad full of quality that they are struggling to harness. Unlike their city rivals, though, it has been the defence that has been the biggest area of concern for the green half of the city.
The Hibees have had a habit of shooting themselves in the foot with crazy errors at the back, which is reflected in the fact they have conceded 30 times in 18 games. These issues have been addressed to some extent, however.
There is, meanwhile, real menace in the attack when it gets going. They like to attack in transition, using the pace of their forward line. Hibs have scored 3 times in 4 of their last 5 games, aided by the overdue return to form of Martin Boyle. The Australia international forward scored 1 and created 2 in the win against Aberdeen.
While manager David Gray might be limited tactically, there are clear signs that he has installed a gritty mentality into his team. Hibs have won 8 points from losing positions in the league, which ranks third in the division.
The Easter Road club, meanwhile, come into this game having won back-to-back league fixtures for the first time in a year.
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* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.
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