Hibernian and Bournemouth will ramp up their pre-season preparations with a friendly at the Marbella Football Center on Thursday.

Hibs finished fifth in the Scottish Premiership last term, while the Cherries finished five points clear of the Premier League relegation zone in 15th place.

Match preview

It would not be unfair to say that Hibernian experienced an inconsistent 2022-23 season, as the Edinburgh outfit enjoyed impressive unbeaten spells while also enduring lengthy winless streaks.

After kicking off the Scottish Premiership campaign with a run of five victories in nine matches, Hibs suffered nine defeats in 11 outings before posting a seven-game unbeaten streak between January and March.

Following a run of four successive losses, Lee Johnson's side finished the season on a high, losing just one of their final seven league encounters to finish fifth and snatch a Europa Conference League qualifying berth.

Although Hibernian finished five points behind third-placed Aberdeen, they found themselves 40 points shy of the top two, underlining the gulf in quality between Celtic and Rangers and the rest of the league.

Ultimately, Jonhson will be eager for his team to establish a sense of consistency in 2023-24, as Hibs proved to be one of the most unpredictable sides in Scotland's top tier last term.

Despite guiding the club to Premier League safety last season, Gary O'Neil was relieved of his duties as Bournemouth manager last month, with Spanish boss Andoni Iraola coming in as his successor.

Having made a name for himself at Rayo Vallecano, Iraola arrives in England with a solid reputation, but he will need to hit the ground running at the Vitality Stadium if he wants to win over the fans, as O'Neil was a popular figure.

The Cherries lost 21 of their 38 Premier League matches last season, picking up 11 wins and six draws in the process, while only the bottom two sides – Southampton and Leeds United – conceded more goals in 2022-23.

It is also worth noting that Bournemouth were the fourth-lowest scorers in England's top flight last term, so the new manager will surely be eager to enhance the Cherries' attacking output.

With friendlies against Maccabi Tel Aviv, Southampton, Atalanta and Lorient also scheduled before the start of the new campaign, Iraola has plenty of opportunities to make his mark on the team before the season opener against West Ham United.

Team News

Joe Newell and Lewis Miller will play no further part in Hibernian's pre-season schedule after sustaining injuries, with Newell suffering a hamstring tear and Miller picking up a tendon problem in his calf.

Hibs have been active throughout the summer transfer window, bringing in Elie Youan from St Gallen and Dylan Levitt from Dundee United, while veteran striker Adam Le Fondre has arrived on a free from Sydney FC.

However, the Hibbies will have to make do without Kevin Nisbet, who scored 12 goals in 19 league appearances last season before joining Millwall.

Bournemouth, on the other hand, finished the previous campaign with Ryan Fredericks on the treatment table, although the Cherries have reported no fresh injury problems.

Key midfielder Jefferson Lerma has joined Premier League rivals Crystal Palace, while Jordan Zemura, Jack Stacey and Junior Stanislas have also departed the club.

However, Bournemouth's squad has been bolstered by the permanent signing of Hamed Junior Traore from Sassuolo and the addition of Justin Kluivert from Roma, giving Andoni Iraola more attacking options.

Hibernian possible starting lineup:
Marshall; Cabraja, Fish, Hanlon, Stevenson; Jeggo, Cadden, Doyle-Hayes, Henderson, Youan; Le Fondre

Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Neto; Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kelly; Cook, Billing; Kluivert, Christie, Ouattara; Solanke

We say: Hibernian 1-3 Bournemouth

Hibernian have already claimed friendly wins over FC Edinburgh and Europa this month, but the Scottish outfit will struggle to pick up a third successive victory against Bournemouth, who are expected to flex their Premier League muscles on Thursday.

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