FOLLOWING the launch of Bet365's new Bet Builder feature, Mr Fixit has asked me to take a look at some of the best bets available for Sunday. What better place to start than the live Edinburgh Derby between Hearts and Hibernian?
It's the third season in a row that the clubs have been drawn together in the William Hill Scottish Cup and Hearts will be aiming to prevent the Hibees from claiming bragging rights for the third consecutive season.
The previous two seasons have followed a familiar pattern, both teams shared draws at Tynecastle, then Hibs won the replays at Easter Road. It means that the Jambos have now failed to win the Edinburgh Derby in the last nine attempts. So a victory for the maroon half of the city is overdue, right?
Hearts go in to the game in really good form. They're unbeaten in nine – the highlight being a stunning 4-0 demolition of the seemingly unbeatable champions Celtic – and haven't conceded in their last six. Admittedly three of those results have been 0-0 draws, but those have all been with teams in and around the top six in the league.
The arrival of Scottish Internationalist Steven Naismith on loan from Norwich City will also have given things a lift ahead of the match. The 31-year-old will add some experience, and Craig Levein will be hoping he'll also bring some goals to a squad that's managed just 21 goals in 22 league matches.
As for Hibs they've recruited out-of-favour Dundee ‘keeper Scott Bain and Australian striker Jamie McLaren from MSV Duisburg although it's unlikely the former will dislodge Ofir Marciano between the sticks on Sunday. It's hard to know what to make of Neil Lennon's side. 4th in the table is not to be sniffed at and on occasion they've looked one of the most exciting teams in the league but they've been frustratingly inconsistent at times. They finished 2017 with just one win in seven so maybe the winter break came at the right time for them.
It leads me to favour Hearts in this one but I'd rather have the draw on side too so my first leg of the Bet Builder is Hearts or draw Double chance.
Goals
Given the paucity of goals in recent Hearts games I reckon it'll be a tight affair. There's only been nine goals scored in their last eight games and only two scored in Hibs last three outings. That would suggest Under 2.5 match goals.
Corners
Anyone who follows @gregbrowning's tips know he's a fan of backing corners in Hibs games. At 7.82 per match they average the most corners in the league so let's take a small punt on over 5.5 corners for the Hibees.
Cards
Finally, lets have a look at the cards stats. This game has a reputation for lots of cards and some of them red. The last four meetings have averaged a tame 3.75 cards per match. The four prior to that however averaged a whopping 8.5 yellows per match and included 2 reds.
Referee Kevin Clancy incurred the wrath of Craig Levein when sending off 16-year-old Harry Cochrane when Hearts played St Johnstone just before Christmas, so he'll not be made very welcome at Tynecastle. That was one of two red cards shown by Clancy in 20 games this season. He's brandished 80 yellow cards, averaging four per match. In all honesty, bookings could go either way. Clancy will be keen to keep a lid on things for as long as possible, so I'm erring on the side of the averages and going under 5.5 match bookings.
Recommended Bet365 Bet Builder
- Hearts or Draw double chance
- Under 2.5 goals
- Over 5.5 Hibs corners
- Under 5.5 cards
- Odds: 13-2 at Bet365
In December 2020 we sadly 
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