Preview: Hibernian vs Partick Thistle - prediction, team news, lineups

Kicking off their Scottish League Cup campaign, Hibernian will welcome Partick Thistle to Easter Road for their Second Round tie on Sunday.

The Hibees could make it four games unbeaten this weekend, while the Jags are looking for a third win on the bounce.

Match preview

David Gray's Hibs come into this match full of confidence after progressing in Europe last time out, and they will be expecting to get the better of their second-tier opponents.

The Hibees held North Macedonian side Shkendija to a 0-0 draw on Thursday, a result that was enough to see them through to the playoff round of the UEFA Conference League thanks to their 2-1 victory in the first leg.

That success followed a 2-1 triumph over Scottish Premiership giants Rangers on August 9, when Callum Wright secured all three points with a 93rd-minute winner at Ibrox.

All-in-all, it would be fair to say that Gray's men have made a strong start to the 2026-27 season - even if they were downed 2-1 by Motherwell in their league opener - and anything other than another victory on Sunday would come as a surprise.

However, this weekend's hosts have been less than solid on their own turf in recent months, and after losing four of their last seven outings when playing as the home side, the Hibees will be looking for a convincing result at Easter Road.

Meanwhile, Mark Wilson's Partick narrowly missed out on promotion to the Scottish Premiership last term, and after battling through the League Cup's first round, it would be unwise to count them out on Sunday.

The Jags finished runners-up in Group E to reach this stage, taking nine points and only failing to win one of their four games - a penalty shootout loss against Stenhousemuir after a 2-2 draw on July 21.

That disappointment marked the only competitive defeat of the season so far for Wilson's side, who come into this match having secured consecutive victories in the Scottish Championship.

Last time out, Thistle took maximum points with a 2-0 win over Livingston, following up their 1-0 triumph against Morton six days earlier - a flawless start to the league campaign.

The defensive solidity that the Jags showed to keep back-to-back clean sheets will serve them well on Sunday, when they will need to be at their best to hold out when faced with a top-flight European hopeful.

Hibernian form (all competitions):

Partick Thistle Scottish League Cup form:

Partick Thistle form (all competitions):

Team News

Hibs will be lighter in defence than ideal this weekend, given that left wing-back Nicky Cadden is dealing with a calf injury, though he and long-term absentee centre-back Rocky Bushiri (Achilles) are closing in on a return to action.

In their absence, goalkeeper Raphael Sallinger is likely to be protected by a four-man defence featuring Warren O'Hora and Jason Kerr at centre-half, as well as Felix Passlack and Jordan Obita as full-backs.

At the opposite end of the pitch, Owen Elding and loanee Nathan Lowe may line up in a strike partnership, aided by Josh Mulligan and Adam Mayor from out wide.

As for Partick Thistle, they could continue with Alex Samuel at the tip of their attack, supported by a trio of Seb Drozd, Robbie Crawford and Aidan Fitzpatrick.

Tsoanelo Letsosa and Oisin Smyth are likely to operate in a double pivot at the base of the visitors' midfield, just in front of centre-backs Cale Loughrey and Daniel O'Reilly.

Hibernian possible starting lineup:

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

Partick Thistle possible starting lineup:

McFarlane; McPherson, Loughrey, O'Reilly, Reading; Letsosa, Smyth; Drozd, Crawford, Fitzpatrick; Samuel