Edinburgh derby in numbers as Hearts & Hibs face off

When Edinburgh's big two meet at Tynecastle on Saturday, Hearts will be aiming to maintain their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

Hibs are attempting to make it three successive derby wins for the first time in over 100 years.

Both sides are unbeaten on league duty so far but Hearts are way ahead with five wins and one draw, to Hibs' one win and five draws.

Last term, Hibs had the upper hand, winning twice and drawing the other derby on the way to third place. The visitors are unbeaten in four of these contests and have lost just once in the past eight meetings.

Derek McInnes is yet to lose over 90 minutes since taking over as Hearts head coach, with the only disappointment in 11 games being a League Cup penalty shootout loss to St Mirren.

This will be his first taste of the derby but he does a positive record against Hibs from his time at St Johnstone, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock, winning 18 of his 39 games and losing 10.

McInnes has yet to get the better of David Gray though, after two draws and a defeat last season with Killie.

Hibs boss Gray went unbeaten in the derby in his debut campaign and did not meet Hearts or McInnes in his three short interim spells. As a player, he enjoyed three victories over his boyhood team and suffered two defeats, with just two of those 10 fixtures in the top flight.

Hearts tend to get the ball forward quicker and have outscored Hibs by 15 to 10 in the league.

The hosts just shade attempts on goal (94-89) and efforts on target (38-34), although Hibs were ahead on both counts before last weekend before they drew 0-0 at champions Celtic and Hearts scored three from 20 shots against Falkirk.

Hearts are significantly ahead on touches in the opposition box (200-159) and have had more success from set-pieces, scoring from corners four times and twice from free-kicks, which is double Hibs' output.

Those of a maroon persuasion have certainly had more to smile about this season and have by far the better overall record since these city rivals first met on Christmas Day 1875.

However, derby bragging rights are all about recency and home fans will be ecstatic if they go 11 points clear of their neighbours seven games in, while those in green and white will be partying like it's 1922 if they can equal that long ago three-in-a-row.