HIBERNIAN host fierce rivals Hearts under the lights at Easter Road on Tuesday night in what looks set to be the third and final Scottish Premiership Edinburgh derby of the season.
With Hibs in the hunt for European football and Hearts hovering above the top-tier trapdoor, these two old foes are unlikely to lock horns when the league splits, however, both rivals were drawn together in the Scottish Cup semi-finals last weekend.
The Hibees surged into the last-four on Friday night by firing five past Scottish Championship outfit Inverness in what was arguably the most dominant performance of the Jack Ross era to date.
Ross' appointment, coupled with some astute January recruitment, has been a game-changing factor in Hibs' revival this season – the Leith side have lost only one of their last 11 games across all competitions – a narrow 2-1 defeat away at Rangers last month.
Coincidentally, Hearts' solitary league success of 2020 came against Rangers and the Jambos stunned Steven Gerrard's side for the second time this season when knocking the Glasgow giants out of the Scottish Cup on Saturday night.
The Gorgie faithful may question whether or not their recent triumph over the Teddy Bears was another false dawn, however, either way, a trip to Easter Road looks like an arduous assignment for Daniel Stendel's relegation-threatened side.
The Betting Odds
Hibernian KO'd Hearts on Boxing Day by winning 2-0 at Tynecastle and the Hibees are 5/4 with Betfred to make it back-to-back Edinburgh derby victories.
Hearts only league victory on the road this season was at this venue and the Jambos are 23/10 with Bet 365 to take all three points on Tuesday night, while a first derby-day draw of the season is at best 5/2 with UniBet.
The Betting Angles
Last season 23 cards were dished out over four derbies – an average of 5.75 per-game – and with both sides in desperate need of a result here, I don't see any reason for cards not to feature heavily in this capital clash.
What's more, referee Kevin Clancy – the Scottish Premiership's most card-happy official – will take charge of this tussle and with that in mind I like the look of the 10/11 offer with Bet 365 for each team to collect over one card on Tuesday night.
Clancy is averaging 4.2 cards per game this season and given that this fixture is notorious for being fiery, value could lie in backing both teams to pick up two or more cards.
Focusing on individual cautions could be tricky given that there are so many candidates worth considering, however, Hearts Sean Clare looks overpriced at 3/1 with Bet 365 for a booking – Clare has clocked up six cards this term and another could follow now that Stendel has shifted the Englishman into a right-back role.
Goals could also be the way to go at Easter Road given that Hibs have scored 25 goals in 14 league games at home this term and 14 of the last 16 visiting sides to Leith have got on the scoresheet, with nine of that sample scoring two or more goals.
Both teams to score in this battle looks slightly short at 3/4 with Bet 365, however, over 2.5 match goals is an eye-catching 19/20 with BetVictor – a bet that has landed in 11 of Hibs' 14 Scottish Premiership home matches this season.
Indeed, both of the above-mentioned betting angles appeal, however, I'm more attracted to the 11/10 (Bet 365) that is available for Hibs to score two or more goals in this contest – something that Jack Ross' men have managed in eight of their 11 matches since returning from the winter break.
Ross has deadly strike duo Christian Doidge and Marc McNulty at his disposal and with Scott Allan, Martin Boyle and Greg Docherty supplying the ammunition, I fancy Hibs to hit another double against a shaky Hearts side who have the worst road record in the division.
The men in maroon have lost six and drawn two of their last eight Scottish top-flight road trips and although Hearts will be high in confidence following their Scottish Cup heroics on Saturday, the red-hot Hibees look too tempting to pass up on at 5/4 with Betfred to claim Edinburgh derby bragging rights.
This Scottish Premiership match between Hibernian and Hearts will be played on Mar 3, 2020 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Hibernian vs Hearts prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
