Two sides rooted at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership table come together on Sunday afternoon when Hibernian host Hearts at the Easter Road Stadium in the first Edinburgh derby of the season.
The hosts are 12th in the standings with five points from eight games, while the visitors also have five points in 11th, though they have played once more than their opponents.
Match preview
Hibernian have faced an extremely challenging start to the 2024-25 campaign, winning just four of their opening 13 matches across all competitions, losing seven and drawing two in that period.
Three of those victories came in their initial four fixtures in the Scottish League Cup group stage, a competition which they have since been eliminated from after losing 3-1 to Celtic in the second round.
That leaves Hibs with just one win in the Scottish Premiership, 2-0 against St Johnstone, and alongside their two draws and five losses, they consequently sit bottom of the table, trailing their city rivals on goal difference.
David Gray's men have followed that triumph over the Saints with three successive losses, with the last two spoiled by red cards that led to their downfall, the latest defeat especially shocking as they conceded two stoppage-time goals to Dundee United having led 2-1 going into the 90th minute.
Gray has insisted that there is no crisis at Hibernian but has reminded the players that they are paid to win games, not just to play, while also admitting that a victory against their city rivals could go a long way in boosting the morale surrounding the club.
While both sides sit level on five points, Hearts will head into the encounter as favourites, having secured back-to-back victories in their first matches under new manager Neil Critchley.
Former boss Steven Naismith was dismissed after the Jambos drew their opening game to the season and then suffered eight consecutive losses across all competitions, with Liam Fox initially stepping in as interim manager.
Fox oversaw an instantaneous uplift in form, with Hearts securing a 1-1 draw against Ross County in their first match under the caretaker manager, thanks to Lawrence Shankland's 96th-minute equaliser, followed by a debut victory of the campaign against Dinamo Minsk in the Conference League.
The Jambos did suffer a narrow defeat to Aberdeen in their final outing under Fox, losing 3-2 after conceding an 88th-minute winner, but Hearts would have been encouraged by a positive performance against the unbeaten Dons.
Critchley was finally appointed as the next permanent manager at Hearts, and the former Blackpool boss has made a dream start with the club, thrashing St Mirren 4-0 in his first game before defeating Omonia 2-0 in their last outing.
Aiming to endear himself to the Jambos faithful even further on Sunday, Critchley will seek to secure a third victory in as many matches during his first Edinburgh derby in charge of the team.
Team News
Hibernian will be missing captain Joe Newell for the first derby of the season after the midfielder was sent off for an accumulation of yellow cards in the 85th minute of their defeat to Dundee Utd last time out.
Kieron Bowie has been out of the side since the September international break after suffering a hamstring injury, and the forward is not expected to return to the matchday squad until early next year.
Nectarios Triantis served his suspension in the last outing after being sent off against Motherwell, and the midfielder is likely to partner Hyeok-kyu Kwon in the absence of Newell.
Calem Nieuwenhof, Gerald Taylor and Yutaro Oda are all ruled out of this match due to injury concerns, although all three are anticipated to return to action next month.
Having secured back-to-back victories in his first two games at the club, Critchley could opt to field a similar starting 11 in his first Edinburgh derby on Sunday.
Hibernian possible starting lineup:
Bursik; Miller, Ekpiteta, O'Hora, Obita; Kwon, Triantis; Cadden, Campbell, Hoilett; Gayle
Hearts possible starting lineup:
Gordon; Forrester, Kent, Rowles, Kingsley; Vargas, Boateng, Devlin, Forrest; Shankland, Spittal
We say: Hibernian 1-2 Hearts
Both sides will be extremely motivated for the first Edinburgh derby of the 2024-25 campaign, but with Hearts heading into this game on the back of two successive victories, we believe the visitors will win here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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