The atmosphere at Easter Road on Sunday should be electric, and Hibernian will be determined to do everything in their power to put a major dent in Hearts' title bid. With that in mind, along with a few other factors, I’m inclined to keep the hosts on side by backing them on the Double Chance.

David Gray's side have already shown they can get the better of Hearts on this ground earlier in the campaign, while they were also unfortunate not to come away with something from either of their two visits to Tynecastle. Just as importantly, the Hibees have been a notoriously difficult side to beat at Easter Road this season, avoiding defeat in 14 of their 16 Scottish Premiership matches in front of their own supporters. The only teams to leave Leith with all three points were Celtic and Rangers, and even those victories came by the finest of margins.

That does not bode well for a Hearts side who have struggled on their travels in recent months, with Derek McInnes' men picking up just one point from their last four Scottish Premiership away matches, and even that came at rock-bottom Livingston.

While I fancy Hibernian to avoid defeat on Sunday, I do not have quite as much faith in them to keep a clean sheet, which brings both teams to score firmly into the equation in this all-Edinburgh affair.

When these two fierce rivals met at this venue over the festive period, Hibernian ran out 3-2 winners, and they have since beaten Dundee United by the same scoreline at Easter Road. It was also not too long ago that David Gray's side were involved in a barnstorming 3-3 draw away at Dundee, while they have also claimed a 2-1 win at Celtic in relatively recent times, so they are no strangers to high-scoring encounters.

As for Hearts, they come into this clash on the back of a 3-1 win over Motherwell, while their last away match finished in an entertaining 2-2 draw at Livingston. Further encouragement comes from the fact that the Jambos were also involved in a 4-2 thriller at Rangers not so long ago.

The sides' respective league positions mean both will be going all out for victory on Sunday, albeit for very different reasons, and that strengthens the case for an end-to-end contest at Easter Road.

This has all the makings of a hard-hitting contest, and I think Lawrence Shankland looks well placed to commit at least one foul. The Hearts captain is better known for putting the ball in the back of the net, but he is equally not afraid to throw his weight around when leading the line.

That is reflected in his numbers this season, with Shankland averaging 0.75 fouls per 90 in the Scottish Premiership. A closer look shows the Hearts ace has been penalised in 10 of his last 13 top-flight outings, including when these sides met at Easter Road earlier in the campaign. It is also worth noting that the Scotland international overstepped the mark twice against Motherwell last time out.

Between his physicality in aerial battles and his tireless work when running the channels, Shankland often finds himself in situations where defenders can draw cheap free-kicks. The prospect of Shankland being in direct battle with Hibernian's Rocky Bushiri only bolsters the case. The Hibees defender is effective when it comes to earning his side free-kicks, drawing an average of 1.00 fouls per game in the Scottish Premiership this season.

In what is sure to be a fiery midfield battleground on Sunday, Hearts’ Cameron Devlin is almost certain to be one of the main protagonists. The tough-tackling Australian’s love of a strong challenge means he is no stranger to Scottish Premiership referees.

That has been the case again this season, with Devlin committing an average of 1.66 fouls per game. However, a deeper dig shows those numbers increase away from home. The 27-year-old has been guilty of multiple offences in seven of his 12 top-flight appearances away from Tynecastle this term, committing 3+ fouls in four of those contests.

The likelihood of Devlin being tasked with keeping close tabs on Hibernian’s Jamie McGrath only adds to the appeal of this selection. The Hibees playmaker has been something of a foul magnet this season, drawing an average of 1.99 fouls per game in the Scottish Premiership, notably being fouled no fewer than four times away at Aberdeen last time out.