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

Hibernian will play host to Shkendija at Easter Road Stadium on Thursday for the first leg meeting of their Conference League third qualifying round tie.

Both teams came from behind to secure 4-3 aggregate triumphs in their second qualifying round fixtures.

Match preview

Hibernian qualified for the Conference League qualifiers thanks to Celtic's Scottish FA Cup triumph at the end of 2025-26.

Drawn against FC Malisheva in the second qualifying round, Hibernian went into the first leg full of confidence following encouraging pre-season wins against Cliftonville FC (5-1) and Brondby (2-1).

However, David Gray's side suffered a shock 2-0 defeat in Kosovo, leaving Hibs with a mountain to climb heading back to Easter Road for the second leg fixture.

A rapid start saw Hibernian level the tie inside 15 minutes, thanks to goals from Owen Elding and Felix Passlack, with Nathan Lowe and Martin Boyle adding to the scoring to help seal a 4-1 win and 4-3 aggregate triumph.

Hibernian failed to build on that momentum when they took on Motherwell on matchday one of the new Scottish Premiership campaign, losing 2-1 after conceding an 85th-minute winner to Ibrahim Said.

Gray will now be looking for his side to quickly bounce back and record a first leg win against Shkendija, with Hibernian aiming to secure a place in European competition for the first time since the 2005-06 UEFA Cup.

Hibernian will be favourites going into the tie, but Shkendija will be full of confidence after a positive start to the 2026-27 campaign.

Shkendija, after failing to win any of their final three pre-season fixtures, got their competitive season underway with a commanding 5-0 win over Europa FC in the first leg of their Conference League first qualifying round.

After beating Europa 1-0 in the second leg, Shkendija fell to a 2-1 defeat away from home in the first leg of their second round, leaving them with work to do in the reverse fixture at their home ground.

Artim Polozani's side's attention first turned to their opening match of the 1. MFL campaign, which they won 3-0 against Skopje, and they followed that up by coming from behind to seal a 3-1 win and 4-3 aggregate triumph over Bravo.

Now drawn against Hibernian in the third round, Shkendija will be hoping to stay in the tie before their home leg next week, with the North Macedonian side hoping to make it to the league phase of the Conference League in back-to-back seasons.

Hibernian Conference League form:

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Hibernian form (all competitions):

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Shkendija Conference League form:

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Shkendija form (all competitions):

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Team News

Hibernian are set to be without Jamie McGrath (calf), Nicky Cadden (calf) and Rocky Bushiri (Achilles tendon) due to ongoing injury issues.

Lowe has enjoyed a strong start to life at Hibernian, scoring three goals in four appearances, and the forward is likely to lead the line alongside Elding and Boyle.

As for Shkendija, Polozani may decide to name a similar team coming off the back of two straight wins.

Fahd Ndzengue could spearhead the attack, with Almir Kryeziu, Sebastjan Spahiu and Fabrice Tamba providing support.

Hibernian possible starting lineup:

Sallinger; O'Hora, Kerr, Obita; Passlack, Mulligan, Chaiwa, Mayor; Elding, Lowe, Boyle

Shkendija possible starting lineup:

Amzai; Trumci, Islami, Meljichi, Dimoski; Zejnullai, Freitas; Tamba, Spahiu, Kryeziu; Ndzengue

We say: Hibernian 2-0 Shkendija

Hibernian may have experienced a mixed start to the season, but they demonstrated their home strength in the second leg of their second qualifying round and will be confident of repeating that result on Thursday.

Although Shkendija are in superior form heading into the clash, the hosts should have enough quality to get over the line with a lead to take to North Macedonia.

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