HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN have hit their stride heading towards the winter break and if they can beat Hibernian in this Easter Road derby it would be another feather in Steven Naismith's cap.
Plenty of punters wanted rid of their rookie boss earlier in the season, particularly after watching their side crash to a 3-1 defeat against Rangers in the semi-final of the League Cup.
But the response since then has been impressive, with the Jambos winning five of their last seven matches to move clear in third place.
One of those victories was a statement 2-0 win at Celtic Park and Hearts followed it up by beating fourth-placed St Mirren by the same score at Tynecastle on Saturday.
I tipped the Jambos to win that game and it moved them five points clear of Hibernian heading into the second derby of the season.
Hibs had their weekend game postponed due to a waterlogged pitch in Dingwall and boss Nick Montgomery will be hoping that extra freshness gives them the edge in the derby.
Performances have definitely picked up since the Englishman replaced Lee Johnson in the dugout but Hibernian remain dogged by inconsistency.
After 18 Premiership games they have won six, lost six and drawn six, summing up the rollercoaster ride their fans have been on.
Like Heart of Midlothian, Montgomery's side had a disappointing League Cup semi-final loss, with 10-man Aberdeen digging deep to bring up a bet for me that day.
But they could still easily finish the Premiership campaign in third place and a victory over the Jambos would leave them just two points adrift of their rivals.
How the bookies view it
This a tough one to call between two evenly matched sides but the bookies think home advantage gives Hibernian the slight edge as they're 29/20 at Bet365. Heart of Midlothian are 15/8 at Betfair while the draw will be a popular choice at 5/2 with Bet365.
Recent head to head
Heart of Midlothian have held the upper hand in this fixture of late, losing just one of the last 12 derbies. But that defeat came on their last visit to Easter Road as Hibernian claimed a 1-0 victory thanks to Kevin Nisbet's winner.It was a 2-2 thriller when these sides locked horns at Tynecastle earlier this season.
Players to watch
Elie Youan was the Hibernian hero in the last derby as his double helped them come from 2-0 down to claim a point. The Frenchman hasn't scored since then so could be a due a goal and he's 11/2 with Bet365 for anytime scorer. McBookie also price the winger at 11/4 for an assist.
It's hard to look past Lawrence Shankland for a Hearts goal as the Scotland striker is in terrific form. His weekend double against St Mirren took his tally for the season to 16 and he has four goals in his last three outings. Another strike here pays 7/4 with BoyleSports.
Anything else catch the eye?
Derbies can often by a war of attrition and it's always a good idea backing a tight game. The half-time draw pays 6/5 here with 888Sport while McBookie price a one-goal winning margin for either side at 13/10.
Cards are another reliable market in this fixture, with 21 yellows and one red flashed in the last three meetings. A sending-off pays 5/2 with Bet365 and McBookie have over 62.5 booking points at 13/10.
Backing individual players to fall foul of the officials might be safer, especially in the midfield battle ground. Hearts star Beni Baningime is 7/4 at Bet365 to go into the book while Hibees ace Joe Newell is 11/5 at William Hill.
The last three derbies have all produced over 10 corners so that market is also worth a look, with over 10.5 corners paying 10/11 at McBookie.
This Scottish Premiership match between Hibernian and Heart of Midlothian will be played on Dec 27, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Hibernian vs Heart of Midlothian prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
