Hibernian will host Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday afternoon hoping to win their third league game in a row and consolidate third place.
Meanwhile, the Dons, who occupy fourth, have picked up just six points from their last seven matches but will be looking for their fourth successive triumph against the Edinburgh outfit.
Match preview
© Reuters
Hibernian claimed successive league wins for the first time since early December as they sealed a 2-1 win at St Mirren on Tuesday.
Ryan Porteous's bullet header and a penalty converted by Martin Boyle helped secure all three points on the road for the ninth time this season; only league leaders Rangers have claimed more top-flight victories than Hibs away from home so far this campaign.
However, three of Hibernian's next four matches are to be played at Easter Road, where they have won only four of their 13 Scottish Premiership matches this season. Manager Jack Ross will be hoping that the impressive performances in their previous two games can be taken into their upcoming fixtures, starting with Aberdeen this weekend.
The Edinburgh outfit have won only one of their last 10 league meetings with Aberdeen, with the Dons winning both of their league encounters this season, most recently a 2-0 victory in November.
The last time Ross's side were victorious in three games in a row was in August 2020, when they won their opening three league matches of this season, and a victory on Saturday would match that and move them five points ahead of the Dons.
© Reuters
Aberdeen failed to score against Livingston for the second time in four days as last weekend's goalless draw was followed up with a 2-0 loss at home on Tuesday.
An early own goal from goalkeeper Joe Lewis and a strike from Lions full-back Nicky Devlin gave the visitors a two-goal cushion which they were able to hold onto despite the Dons dominating for the majority of the game.
After a poor run of form which has seen Aberdeen slip to fourth in the Scottish Premiership, manager Derek McInnes stated that he 'requires a big performance' from his Dons side against Hibs, describing Saturday's match as "a big game" in their quest to qualify for Europe.
McInnes's men head into their clash with Hibs having won just two of their previous nine league games and only one of their last nine away matches; they did, however, win their last trip to Easter Road earlier this season, securing a slender 1-0 victory in August.
Claiming three points once again would move Aberdeen above Hibs into third place, five points behind second-placed Celtic if they were to lose at home to Motherwell.
Hibernian Scottish Premiership form: LDWLWW
Hibernian form (all competitions): DWLLWW
Aberdeen Scottish Premiership form: LLWDDL
Team News
© Reuters
Hibs midfielder Joe Newell is still out with a groin injury and left-back Sean Mackie has a thigh problem, but both could return to action in the coming weeks.
Ross has left defender Porteous and forward Kevin Nisbet out of his starting lineup for the last two games as both have been linked with moves away from Easter Road and after two successive wins, the head coach may decide to keep them on the bench.
Aberdeen striker Curtis Main remains out with a knee injury, which could see new signing Fraser Hornby start once again up front.
Key midfielder Lewis Ferguson, who has been directly involved in all three goals scored by the Dons against Hibs this season, is set to remain in the starting lineup alongside Ross McCrorie.
Hibernian possible starting lineup:
Marciano; McGinn, McGregor, Hanlon; Cadden, Gogic, Irvine, Doig; Murphy; Doidge, Boyle
Aberdeen possible starting lineup:
Lewis; Hoban, Taylor, Considine; Kennedy, McCrorie, Ferguson, Leigh; Hedges, Hendry; Hornby
We say: Hibernian 1-1 Aberdeen
Hibernian will be keen to build on their previous two victories and overcome an Aberdeen side that have won each of their last three meetings. The Dons are desperate to turn their form around but with little separating the two teams, a draw at Easter Road could be on the cards.
Top betting tip
Oliver Thomas
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Aberdeen win with a probability of 38.94%. A win for Hibernian had a probability of 33.49% and a draw had a probability of 27.6%.
The most likely scoreline for an Aberdeen win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.36%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.2%) and 0-2 (7.15%). The likeliest Hibernian win was 1-0 (10.34%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.02%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 5.9% likelihood.
