Hibernian

Nick McPheat
BBC Scotland

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The Hibs fans will want more points on the board, and a 21-point gap between their side and rivals Hearts looks ugly, but they could have fun watching this team.

The manager still has a lot of convincing to do, but January recruits Myziane Maolida and Emiliano Marcondes, coupled with a change of system, have injected life into the Leith side's season.

A home game against struggling Ross County gives Nick Montgomery's men a chance to push into the top half, then they can look to have a real go at Rangers in their Scottish Cup quarter-final tie.

It is difficult to be too critical of a Hearts team who look home and dry in third, but Steven Naismith will have no issue with that.

The Hearts boss will not want this season to fizzle out, especially with a last-eight tie of their own to look forward to at Morton, and he will be determined to not give any encouragement to the teams behind.

But things do not get much easier for the Tynecastle club as Celtic travel to Gorgie on Sunday.

Three changes for Hearts following the thrashing they suffered at Ibrox.

The Tynecastle side switch to a back four as centre-back Kye Rowles drops to the bench along with midfield duo Beni Baningime and Jorge Grant.

In come Scott Fraser, Alan Forrest and Cammy Devlin, who makes his first start since November.

Edinburgh rivals Hibs, meanwhile, are unchanged after their 2-1 win over Dundee on Saturday.

• Listen to live commentary & follow text updates from Easter Road

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Emiliano Marcondes is expecting Wednesday evening at Tynecastle to be "wild" and "crazy" but backs himself to be "composed" in the heat of an Edinburgh derby having experienced "big games" before.

The 28-year-old midfielder will be facing Heart of Midlothian in his seventh match for Hibernian since arriving on loan from Bournemouth.

But he knows what to expect from the derby having chatted to Cherries team-mates Ryan Christie, the former Celtic midfielder, and James Hill, the centre-half who had a loan spell with Hearts.

"It is going to be wild, it's going to be crazy," Marcondes said. "The fans are close to the pitch, which I like - a good atmosphere to play in front of passionate fans.

"I am ready for it. I have experienced a few derbies, with Brentford we had a few derbies too, but this is the first time with two clubs in one city."

Hibs head to Tynecastle on the back of beating Dundee to record their first Scottish Premiership win of 2024, while Hearts were thumped 5-0 away to leaders Rangers.

"It's always better to go into a derby with a win and a bit of confidence," Marcondes, who was capped for Denmark at under-23 level, said. "It's been a while, so we are confident and feel strong that we can win against any team in this league. And they had a big loss to Rangers."

It's official - Hibs shareholders have voted in favour of Bill Foley's £6m investment at the club's annual general meeting.

What do you make of the investment? Tell us your thoughts here.

The third Edinburgh derby of the season pitches up at Tynecastle as Heart of Midlothian welcome city rivals Hibernian.

A 21-point chasm splits the clubs, with Steven Naismith's hosts still cosy in third despite suffering a five-goal thrashing by Rangers at Ibrox on Saturday.

Hibs, meanwhile, sit seventh but have their eyes on a top-six finish after their weekend win over Dundee moved them to within two points of sixth.

A victory at Tynecastle, coupled with defeat for Dundee at Celtic Park, would send Nick Montgomery's men into the top half, but the Leith side have not won in Gorgie since Boxing Day 2019.

A derby record of one win in 10 top-flight meetings also does not make for good reading, but Hibs will be hoping the old 'form goes out the window' cliche applies come kick-off.

The magic of Scotland striker Lawrence Shankland, who has scored four of Hearts' past eight goals against Hibs, decided the previous encounter after a thrilling 2-2 draw at Tynecastle earlier in the campaign.

Something similar to that four-goal thriller in October would be a treat.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland at Easter Road

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Kit Gordon insists the family are totally committed to Hibs for the long haul despite the investment from Bill Foley.

Ms Gordon said they have no plans to further reduce their shareholding, which now stands at just over 60%, at Tuesday's AGM.

The family have been involved with rhe Easter Road club since Ron, who died last year, purchased the club from Tom Farmer back in 2019.

His widow Kit added that retaining overall control of the club was a key part in negotiations.

“I think this is why this deal is the right one for us in so many ways," she said. "We haven’t lost control. From the beginning when Ron passed away people came knocking. This was something that Ron would have gone after.

“We have followed his lead along the way. Even though he is not here he believed in and we know what he wanted for Hibs and this is going to be a very strong partnership.

“We still have control and that is the most important thing. As you know for Ron, control was very important and we haven’t lost that. We still have control.”

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland at Easter Road

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Chief Executive Ben Kensell says the investment by American billionaire Billy Foley into Hibs is game-changing for the club.

Shareholders voted through the proposal at Tuesday night's Annual General Meeting.

The £6m from Foley will make the Easter Road club "effectively" debt free, according to Kensell.

“It’s game changing for Hibs and I think it’s quite ground-breaking for Scottish gootball for the nature of a deal of this type," he said. "I’m delighted after months and months of hard work to get it over the line.

“I think being part of a multi-club network gives us loads of opportunities around best practise sharing, player trading within the network. It obviously gives us equity and cash we can use along with the investment from the Gordon family.

“It allows to have a strategy moving forward that gives us an edge in Scottish football.

“There is no reason to doubt the integrity of this partnership, this deal, certainly not this ownership.

Turning debt into equity and effectively having a club that is debt-free other than its obligations around Covid loans and such shows a fantastic kind of unity within the football club at board level and all the way down.”

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The Times' Michael Grant says Hibs' fans reaction to Bill Foley's proposed investment should serve as a "warning shot" to the American.

Speaking on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast, Grant also shared his admiration for the Edinburgh side's supporters and their reaction to the takeover plans.

"I think they're anxious that their stake in the club is going to diminish," he said.

"Obviously any holding you have is diluted if a major new investor comes in and takes the stake that Bill Foley is proposing to take over.

"I find it quite refreshing and quite reassuring that the Hibs fans have taken this stance. It shows that they're not just going to roll over and say any investment is great and think short term about the kind of money and the signings that it could bring to the club.

"They're thinking beyond that and I think they feel a little bit disrespected because they feel like they haven't had a great deal of communication and detail about what this investment will mean for the club and really how it's come around. So I can understand why their noses are out of joint a little bit.

"I kind of admire them for taking this stand because the easy thing to do would just be to say, this is six million coming into the club, we need it, this is great. But no, I think they're thinking harder than that.

"I would imagine that the investment will still happen, it'll still come in, but it's maybe just a little warning shot to Bill Foley that Hibs and their fanbase deserve to be taken seriously."

Hearts are again without Yutaro Oda due to a minor calf issue, while Liam Boyce, Craig Halkett, Peter Haring and Barrie McKay remain out.

Hibernian welcome back Dylan Levitt following illness, while Chris Cadden could be in the squad as he continues to build fitness following a lengthy lay-off. Josh Campbell and Jake Doyle-Hayes are out.

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• Heart of Midlothian are unbeaten in their last five home games in the Scottish Premiership against Hibernian, last going longer without defeat at Tynecastle in the Edinburgh derby in the top-flight between November 2009 and January 2013 (P6 W4 D2).

• Hibernian have won just one of their last 10 meetings with Heart of Midlothian in the Scottish Premiership (W4 D5), a 1-0 home win in April 2023 thanks to a Kevin Nisbet goal.

• Heart of Midlothian have won four of their last five home league games (D1), scoring 2+ goals in all five. Hearts last netted multiple goals in six successive top-flight home matches within a single season from January to April 2003 under Craig Levein.

• Hibernian have only won three of their last 17 away games in the Scottish Premiership (D8 L6), while both of their two away league games in 2024 have been 2-2 draws (v Kilmarnock and Aberdeen).

• Lawrence Shankland has scored four of Hearts’ last eight league goals against Hibernian, including a brace at Tynecastle in January 2023.

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Hibs have the chance to create some "great memories" for their support when they travel to Tynecastle in the Edinburgh derby, says manager Nick Montgomery.

Both sides bucked their differing runs of form at the weekend, as Hibs picked up a first league win since December, while Hearts were thrashed 5-0 by Rangers.

The Easter Road boss insists his players - including the many winter recruits - are fully aware of the importance of this fixture, but adds that one game will not define their campaign.

“You can’t get away from a derby," he said. "It’s really important for the fans. The new boys coming in know how important it is as well. I know how important derbies are and it’s a good opportunity for us coming off the back of not one but a run of good performances.

“They come off the back of a tough result but it’s a derby. Anything can happen on the night but we will go in full of confidence and look to get a good result in the night.

“I keep saying the next game is the most important. We have moved on (from Saturdays win it was was an important win and a comfortable win but now we move on to the next game is the derby. Full focus has been on that.

“These are games you can make some great memories and give the fans a great week after a good result in a derby. No single game defines a season. We have a run if games where we can finish the season strong and push ourselves up the table as high as possible.

“Whatever happens tomorrow night all I can say is we will give everything we can for the fans to try and get a result tomorrow and then we will move on.”

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland

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Hibs manager Nick Montgomery has been speaking to the media ahead of the small matter of the Edinburgh derby at Tynecastle on Wednesday.

Here are the key points:

• Fully aware of the importance of the Edinburgh derby: "you can't get away from the derby, it's really important for the fans".

• Challenges his players to create "great memories" but no single game "defines a season" and his team "will give their all" for the support.

• Admits Hearts have been on a "really good run of form" despite a "tough result" at Ibrox on Saturday.

• Insists his full focus is on the derby with the club's AGM lingering on Tuesday night. He will be in attendance, but it is "way above my head". Adds that this is an "interesting" period for the club's future.

• Calls Lawrence Shankland "one of the best strikers in the league", acknowledging that he can be the difference between sides - as his team learned in the last Edinburgh derby.

• Dylan Levitt returns from illness to add to the sense of "healthy competition" in the Hibs ranks.

Matty Fairnie
Fan writer

Hibs won the ‘must win’ game against Dundee on Saturday in a manner that was far more convincing than the 2-1 scoreline would have you believe. It was a huge test for both the team and Nick Montgomery, and they passed with flying colours.

Had the result gone the other way, Hibs would have woken up this morning to an eight-point gap to Dundee, and would have little justification to argue that either team were in a false position. As it is, though, that gap is just two points and Montgomery should be using this result to give his side belief that they belong in a top-six position.

Hibs controlled the game from the outset and once they started creating chances, they didn’t stop. Dylan Vente opened the scoring from the spot after Dundee keeper Trevor Carson rather comically wiped out Emiliano Marcondes, and Hibs went into the break with a well deserved lead.

In the second half, Vente looked to have got his and Hibs’ second goal of the game, only to be denied by one of these head-scratching VAR offside calls.

That reprieve gave Dundee the lift they needed, and they found a way back into the game when Luke McCowan’s strike from the edge of the box travelled through a crowded box and into the back of the net.

Hibs have collapsed under such adversity on occasion this season, but they proved their strength of character by regaining the lead almost immediately with a brilliant goal from Myziane Maolida. The forward deservedly picked up the Player of the Match award and his performances recently will give Hibs fans much cause for optimism for the rest of the season.

Final word for Montgomery. This game was crucial for him and the performance he drew from his side was excellent. He looks to have steadied the ship after bringing in players in January, and he can now look forward to Wednesday’s derby with a little less pressure on his shoulders.

Matty Fairnie can be found on the Longbangers podcast, external.

Hibernian's 2-1 win over Dundee narrowed the gap with the sixth-placed visitors to two points on Saturday and Nick Montgomery's side, now unbeaten in three games, will look to build on that in Wednesday's Edinburgh derby.

Hosts Hearts had their 12-match unbeaten run abruptly halted with a 5-0 thumping away to Rangers but have not lost in three derbies - and five at home.

Who would you like to see in Hibs' starting line-up? Pick your side here.

Image source, BBC Sport

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Nick Montgomery is still finding out how his January recruits are adapting to his style of play, says former Scotland international Jackie McNamara.

Speaking on BBC's Scottish Football Podcast, he added that Hibs remain "under a bit of pressure" despite their win over Dundee at the weekend.

"They've had a lot of players come in into the club in January as well and it does take time with a new manager to work with him and show the way he wants to play," he said.

"With his formation, it'll be interesting to see if he sticks to what he'd been doing. I've seen him against Rangers last month in a 4-2-4. It'll be interesting to see if he sticks to that and I know he'd changed it a week after or a couple of weeks after that.

"But again, he's maybe just finding out about these players that have come in, how they're going to adapt to the way he wants to play.

"It wasn't a massive surprise that they got a result there. But this will be an interesting game against Hearts because Hibs will be under a bit of pressure."

Jonathan Sutherland, Sportscene presenter

As Hibs arrested their worrying run of league form, it was a familiar face who spurred them on to victory.

Martin Boyle is consistently the difference maker for the Easter Road side, no matter how many offensive options arrive to challenge his place in the team.

Once again, he was the one to offer real threat against Dundee, while Dylan Vente and Myziane Maolida grabbed the headlines for their goals.

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Hibernian are confident that opposition from Hibernian Supporters Limited, which owns 15.4% of the Scottish Premiership club, will have no impact on billionaire Bournemouth owner Bill Foley's bid for a minority stake when it is voted on at Tuesday's annual meeting. (Edinburgh Evening News), external

Read Monday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

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Dundee goalkeeper Trevor Carson's botched attempt at collecting a corner results in him conceding a penalty for Hibernian's opener at Easter Road. (Available to UK users only)