Friday 9th March 2018 Kick off 1945hrs Hibernian v Hearts Football – Scotland – Scottish Premiership The Edinburgh derby is one of those proverbial games for the purist. Rarely are the encounters packed full of quality, entertainment and free flowing football – but that does not detract from how endearing they can be for football fans. Hibs and Hearts are closely matched and that is borne out in the meetings between them this season – both in the league and cup. There has never been more than a goal between them, whilst they also tend to be low scoring affairs. That trend may well continue on Friday evening at Easter Road for the next encounter of this famous fixture.
Neil Lennon’s men have adapted extremely quickly to life in the Premiership and have been a standout performer in their first season back in the top flight since 2014. Currently in fourth, Hibs are four points behind Aberdeen which – considering the Dons have been the second force in Scottish football for a number of years now – is a tremendous achievement. They will most certainly have their eyes fixed on overtaking Aberdeen, and may also feel they can pressurise Rangers in second. Although 10 points adrift at the moment, they have played a game less and with Rangers playing Celtic this week there may yet be hope for Lennon’s men in that pursuit. Regardless of whether or not they are able to finish higher than their current position, the fact they are in even contention following promotion is testament to the work that Lennon, his coaches and the players have done thus far. Friday will represent another big game for them and their record in the Derby over the past few seasons is very good. They did lose their unbeaten record last time out, though, when losing at Tynecastle in the Scottish Cup – so there will no doubt feel some revenge is due.
It’s been a really disappointing couple of weeks for Hearts having looked like they were going to kick on and have a strong end to the season. Last week’s defeat to Motherwell in the Scottish Cup would have been demoralising for a number of reasons, not least because they conceded so late on having fought their way back into the game and appearing to be in the ascendancy. It would also have been galling that they failed to build on what was seen at the time as being a massive result by defeating Hibs earlier in the competition. Kilmarnock’s win in midweeks also means that Hearts have no dropped to sixth in the table which is well below what they would have been aiming for at the start of the campaign. Should they fail to finish higher in the league or above Hibs – without a serious cup run – then there’s no doubt the season will have been a major disappointment. And a major reason for that is the number of draws that they have returned in the league. Their 12 draws is the most of any team in the Premiership and although a share of the points away to their rivals would ordinarily be seen as a decent result – it’s unlikely to be acceptable for the Jambo’s support in the current climate.
Hibernian v Hearts Betting Tip
The clubs have met three times already this season with very little between them. Hibs won the first derby of the season 1-0 at Easter Road and were certainly deserving of their win that evening. The next league meeting took place shortly after Christmas and was most memorable for the ‘goal’ that was never awarded. That match ended goalless and it wasn’t long before they played each other again with Hearts edging the spoils in the Scottish Cup. Those games indicate just how little there is between the teams but there is reason to suspect that Friday’s clash may be more open than the last two games, certainly. The pitch at Tynecastle has come in for much criticism and it did not suit the way in which Hibs try to play. That should not be the case on Friday and it may result in there being more attacking opportunities – for both clubs. A draw is also not much worth to either side as Hibs try to put pressure on Aberdeen and Rangers above them whilst Hearts will be looking to narrow the gap on their opponents. Of course, we may see an exact replica of what has went before!
Hibs have a really good record in big games and have beaten Rangers twice already this season, taking points off Celtic on two occasions and most recently, defeated Aberdeen at home. The key is getting their midfield three involved and in control of the game – something that never happened in either of the games at Tynecastle. Hearts will undoubtedly prove to be stubborn opposition but they appear more vulnerable at the moment than at any other time since Craig Levein took charge which is why the vote goes to Hibs to do the double in the derby at Easter Road this season.
Hibernian 5/6 @ Betfair
