Preview: Hibernian vs Partizan - prediction, team news, lineups

Hibernian and Partizan are set to clash on Thursday evening at the Easter Road Stadium for the second leg of their Conference League third qualifying round tie.

Hibs will be looking to defend their two-goal lead in their home leg, having secured a superb 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture last week.

Match preview

Hibernian initially entered the Europa League qualifiers this season after securing a third-placed finish in the Scottish Premiership last term, but a 3-2 aggregate defeat to Midtjylland in the second qualifying round demoted them to the Conference League.

Hibs were able to immediately bounce back from that disappointing elimination, beating Dundee 2-1 in their opening league fixture, and they are now unbeaten in their last three outings.

David Gray's side followed their first league match with a 2-0 win over Partizan in the first leg, before drawing 2-2 with Kilmarnock last time out, though Hibs will be frustrated that they squandered a 2-0 lead in that match.

Gray will be hoping his team to get back into winning ways with another victory over Partizan, and they will be confident as they return to their home ground for the second leg.

Partizan also started their 2025-26 campaign in the Europa League qualifying rounds, narrowly losing 6-5 on penalties after a 2-2 aggregate draw with AEK Larnaca in the first qualifying round.

The Steamroller have been in strong form since that defeat, winning all of their first three Mozzart Bet Superliga fixtures and progressing past Oleksandria 6-0 on aggregate in the second qualifying round of the Conference League.

Partizan were, however, beaten 2-0 by Hibernian in the first leg of the third qualifying round, with Vukasin Durdevic's first-half red card being followed by goals from Martin Boyle in the 40th and 70th minutes.

Despite the red card, Partizan showed signs of encouragement throughout the match, taking 11 shots to Hibernian's 12, and the Steamroller will be hoping to improve on that performance with 11 men and ultimately get back into the tie.

Hibernian Conference League form:

Hibernian form (all competitions):

Partizan Conference League form:

Partizan form (all competitions):

Team News

Hibernian are unable to call upon Joe Newell and Nicky Cadden for this second leg meeting, while the remainder of the squad should be available for selection.

Kieron Bowie raised concern after limping off in their 2-2 draw with Kilmarnock late last week, but the striker is expected to be fit to start alongside captain Boyle in this one.

Further back the pitch, the likes of Jack Iredale, Chris Cadden and Boyle were dropped to the bench for their league match, but all three should be back in the starting team for Thursday.

As for Partizan, Durdevic will be unavailable for selection after being dismissed in the first leg meeting, while Arandel Stojkovic should be back in contention after serving his one-game suspension in the first leg.

Partizan defeated FK Napredak Krusevac 7-2 in their latest fixture, and Srdan Blagojevic could look to name a similar starting team in this one as a result.

Hibernian possible starting lineup:

Smith; O'Hora, Kiranga, Iredale; Cadden, Levitt, Mulligan, Obita; Boyle, Bowie, McGrath

Partizan possible starting lineup:

M Milosevic; Stojkovic, Milic, Simic, Jurcevic; Karabelyov, Dragojevic; J Milosevic, Natcho, B Kostic; A Kostic

We say: Hibernian 2-1 Partizan

Hibernian and Partizan’s first leg was a tight affair despite the 2-0 scoreline, but with Hibs holding the advantage and back on home turf, we expect them to edge a narrow win and progress to the next round.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.