Hibs lost their club record unbeaten league run last week at Aberdeen and suffered a blow in the quest to be best of the rest in Scottish football.
And they face a crunch game on Saturday against a Dundee United side who could draw level with them if they win in the capital.
David Gray's side went 17 games – almost half of the season – unbeaten befor they lost out on Saturday to a late wonderstrike by their former player, Aberdeen striker Kevin Nisbet.
They had chances to win it too, but they key factor will be how much it takes out of them for the visit of United to Leith.
United suffered agonies of their own last week.
They were blown away by a rampant Celtic at Tannadice and crashed to a 5-0 defeat as the Hoops officially retained their title and enjoyed a Tayside party.
However, previous to that, Jim Goodwin's side had been in fine form with three impressive 1-0 wins in a row, which is what made their defensive collapse to Celtic all the more disappointing.
But a win here really opens up the battle for third.
How the bookies view it: Hibs odds-on to bounce back
Hibs are odds-on across the board and are 7/10 with Boylesports. Dundee United can be backed at 10/3 and the draw is 13/5.
Recent head to heads: Goals galore and points shared
There have been three entertaining clashes between the teams this season resulting in a win apiece and a draw and 11 goals scored in total.
Hibs have a poor recent home record against United bizarrely though having not won in the last five meetings at Easter Road, although four of those have been draws.
Players to watch: Rocky 5?
Rocky Bushiri is a real threat for Hibs at set-pieces and always seems to go close. He's a vastly improved player and has netted four goals already this season. He's a lively outsider at 12/1 to score anytime with bet365.
As always with Dundee United this season, Sam Dalby remains their biggets threat and is 13/5 to score anytime with bet365.
Predicted line-ups:
Hibs are waiting to hear whether Lewis Smith has recovered from the knock that kept him out last week.
Dundee United will be without Luca Stephenson who has been sent back to Liverpool after an impressive loan spell.
Hibernian: J Smith, O'Hora, Bushiri, Iredale, C Cadden, Levitt, Campbell, Triantis, Hoilett, Boyle, Bowie.
Dundee Utd: Walton, Gallagher, Adegboyega, Sevelj, Ferry, Docherty, Sibbald, Campbell, Middleton, Dalby, Paton.
Anything else catch the eye?
Hibs are worth backing here, even though they are odds-on. They were unlucky to lose last week and this team look like they have a far stronger mentality than previous ones.
They remain in pole position for third spot and they have received some terrific backing at Easter Road.
United fell apart last week and although Celtic can do that to any team in Scotland if they are in the mood, alarm bells would still have been ringing at their fragility.
As stated, there have been plenty of goals at both ends in the this fixture. Back both teams to score and a Hibs win too at 14/5 with Boylesports.
This Scottish Premiership match between Hibernian and Dundee United will be played on and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Hibernian vs Dundee United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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