'Always the main deal' - Hibs & Hearts primed for 'special' derby

No Edinburgh derby is ever a tame affair, but Saturday's clash between Hibs and Hearts at Easter Road carries more weight than most, with the visitors from Gorgie flying high at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

Christmas Day 1875 was the first meeting of the sides, as a 1-0 win for Hearts at the Meadows sparked a rivalry that has stood the test of time.

Now, 150 years on, Hearts are six points clear of second-place Celtic, having played a game more than the defending champions, and Derek McInnes' side lead Hibs in fifth by 16 points.

A second derby victory of the campaign for the boys in maroon would take them into 2026 with real momentum, having already beaten both Celtic and Rangers this month.

And yet, nothing would please Hibernian players and fans more than putting a dent in Hearts' title tilt.

Forward Martin Boyle is a veteran of 22 Edinburgh derbies and while he acknowledged Hearts' impressive form, he fully believes Hibs have what it takes to inflict just a second league defeat of the season on McInnes' men.

"They're playing really well, so hats off to them, but it's up to us to focus on ourselves," Boyle said. "And obviously we'll be looking to upset them and get the win.

"Consistency is key in this league, so they're obviously maintaining that. When it's a derby, [there's] the famous old saying 'form goes out the window', so hopefully we can play our best and get the result."

When the sides met at Tynecastle in early October, Craig Halkett's last-gasp strike sealed the points for Hearts, sparking wild scenes of celebration on and off the pitch.

McInnes expects a similarly charged affair and for it to be decided by fine margins.

"For Hearts and Hibs, it's always the main deal," McInnes said. "It's always a big occasion.

"In the context of our season, we just want to win three points and keep the whole thing going.

"Hibs are a good side and going to Easter Road is always a tricky game. I expect it will be similar to the game at Tynecastle - there was nothing in it really and we scored in the dying embers of the game, which caused huge elation."

Boyle was on the other end of those emotions at Tynecastle and is determined to put things right in front of a packed Easter Road crowd.

"Yeah, obviously it hurts, it's never nice losing a derby," he said. "The celebrations in our faces at the end of the game, it's obviously things that you remember.

"The chances that we missed, I thought we didn't deserve to lose the game. Probably a draw would have been a fair result, we didn't defend our box as best as we could and we got punished."

Hibs have been plagued by inconsistency this season, but are only five points behind Motherwell in third.

"We can definitely relight the season," Boyle added. "It's a tough game, it doesn't come any tougher and obviously the way they're playing at the moment, but it comes down to us on the day.

"We need to be at it, we need to take our chances and we need to defend the box and we need to fight for our lives.

"We know it'll be a tough game. It's an exciting fixture at this time of year. It's always special and it's always a nice one to win."

Chris Cadden and Warren O'Hora are in contention to return to the Hibs squad after missing the draw against Dundee United. Rudi Molotnikov has returned to training following a two-month spell on the sidelines.

For Hearts, Claudio Braga suffered a knock against Rangers but should be fine for the weekend while Craig Halkett - who signed a new deal this week - is back training and should also be fit for the trip to Easter Road.