Hibernian vs Hearts Prediction: A road win for Hearts

Hibernian will host Hearts in the Edinburgh derby, with the chance to narrow the gap to just two points in the Scottish Premiership standings. Currently positioned in sixth place, Hibernian aims to capitalize on this opportunity. On the other hand, Hearts, occupying third place, seeks to solidify their position as the best of the rest in the league.

Hibernian will be eager for a better outcome in this fixture following their 1-0 Premiership defeat to St Johnstone in their last game. In that match, Hibernian had 61% possession and attempted 3 shots at goal, but none were on target. St Johnstone, on the other hand, had 14 shots on goal, with 7 on target, and Graham Carey (57') scored the decisive goal. Over their last six outings, Nick Montgomery's Hibernian managed to hit the target 7 times, conceding a total of 6 goals in those fixtures.

A glance at their recent results reveals that Hibernian hasn't lost to Hearts in the league in their last 3 games, and they are without a win against Hearts in their last 2 league encounters. Notably, Hibernian boasts an unbeaten record in their last 6 league matches at home.

Hearts enter this clash on the back of a 2-0 Premiership victory over St Mirren in their last outing. In that game, Hearts controlled 54% of the possession and had 12 attempts on goal, with 6 on target. Lawrence Shankland (33', 49') was the lone scorer for Hearts, while St Mirren managed 11 shots at goal, with 4 on target.

A noteworthy trend in recent games involving Hearts is the occurrence of at least one side securing a clean sheet, happening in 5 out of their last 6 matches. During this period, their opponents have managed a goal tally of 3, while Hearts themselves have scored 5. However, it's worth noting that Hearts haven't secured a victory against Hibernian in their last 3 away league matches.

With the advantage of playing at home, Hibs will likely be confident in their quest to climb further up the table. Nevertheless, we are predicting Hearts to emerge victorious in what could be a tense encounter, with the possibility of the visitors adopting a more aggressive approach in the closing stages of the match.