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By KEVIN MCKENNA Published: 06: 31 AEDT, 27 December 2025 | Updated: 06: 31 AEDT, 27 December 2025 View comments In the 150 years which have passed since Hibs and Hearts first locked horns, few meetings between the pair have captured the imagination of the country quite like the one which will take place at Easter Road this afternoon. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, it’s only supporters of the respective clubs involved who truly look forward to this now traditional festive battle with such anticipation. But the fact that pretty much everyone with a stake in Scottish football will be monitoring the action in Leith today suggests that this latest edition of the Edinburgh derby might just be a little more significant — Hearts’ remarkable rise to the top of the Premiership summit is to thank for that. The Jambos currently hold a six-point advantage over Celtic heading into the weekend, having played a game more than the defending champions, and are rightfully dreaming of their first top-flight title since 1960. It’s fairytale stuff for their fans — and the stuff of nightmares for their rivals across the city. Hibs have an opportunity to kill the feelgood factor around the league leaders at the moment, but whether they are up to the task is another questions. Here, Daily Mail Sport breaks down the key factors which will decide today’s blockbuster clash. Will Hearts pass the latest test of their title credentials? Hearts manager Derek Mc Innes has guided his side to the top of the Premiership table Craig Halkett netted a dramatic late winner in the last meeting between the pair back in October David Gray is still searching for some momentum in what has has been a stop-start campaign Gorgie bandwagon rolls on You could be forgiven for assuming the wheels would have come off Hearts’ bandwagon long before now. For most observers, it was matter of when rather than if it would eventually happen. It looked for all the world as if a four-game winless run in November and early December would be their undoing. Even Hearts fans, if they’re being honest, must have felt reality biting at that point. In recent weeks, however, they have taken care of both halves of the Old Firm — not to mention Falkirk — with a bit to spare as well. Their 2-1 victory over Rangers at Tynecastle last Sunday made it four wins from four over Glasgow’s big two and, make no mistake, each has been thoroughly deserved. Mc Innes’ and his men have shown they can win in different ways, too. At times, they have played free-flowing football, while they’ve been more than happy to go physical when needs must. Hibs know all about that. Hearts weren’t particularly easy on the eye when the sides met in Gorgie in October. In fact, that’s being kind. It was pretty brutal and, on another day, they could — and perhaps should — have dropped points. Craig Halkett’s stunning stoppage-time volley ensured they didn’t. They have ground out a fair few results this season, but no one at Tynecastle cares about that. One defeat in 18 is title-winning form no matter what the context. Hearts have stood up to almost everything that’s been thrown their way. This is another huge examination at Easter Road, of course, but one which they would expect to pass. Martin Boyle has five goals to his name this season and will look to add to that tally later today Can Hibs finally kickstart their season? Hibs are in dire need of a spark to really get their campaign up and running. David Gray’s side have been consistently inconsistent, which isn’t much use for a team with genuine ambitions to qualify for Europe. They can’t put a run of wins together and get themselves up the table. Only twice have they managed to secure maximum points in consecutive fixtures. For the most part, performances have been decent, but results haven’t matched up. And it’s the inability to put teams away when on top which has ultimately been their Achilles’ heel, as was demonstrated in last week’s frustrating draw against Dundee Utd at Tannadice. Goals haven’t necessarily been hard to come by, primarily through Kieron Bowie (6), Martin Boyle (5), and Jamie Mc Grath (5). Only Celtic and Hearts have scored more for that matter. But good opportunities are being passed up far too often and, with today’s visitors boasting the joint-best defensive record in the league, Hibs can’t afford to let any go begging if they are to come out on top. Will home advantage count today? While Hibs may not be racking up the victories on their own patch this season, they do boast a formidable record in 2025. Indeed only Celtic and Rangers have come away from Easter Road with full points over the past 20 Premiership ties in Edinburgh. Premiership top scorer Lawrence Shankland hasn't found the net against Hibs since early 2024 Gray’s side have come a long way from the early days of last season when the stands were emptying long before full-time against the likes of St Mirren and Motherwell. The manager deserves so much of the credit for the way in which he eventually turned things around to get the fans back on side. He’ll certainly need them to be in full voice this afternoon against a Hearts team who have lost just once on the road all year. Even on that day up at Aberdeen, they were the better team. The travelling supporters sold out today’s allocation in less than 36 hours, something which is becoming par for the course these days such is the satisfaction with what they are seeing. Shankland needs to rediscover derby scoring habit What a difference a year makes for Lawrence Shankland. When the Hearts captain lined up in this fixture exactly one year ago to the day, he had netted just three times all season for a team who looked destined for the drop. Fast forward to now, and the 30-year-old sits both top of the table and the scoring charts with nine to his name already. No player has scored more than the Scotland international in this fixture since 2017, but he is enduring a bit of a rut against the Hibees, having drawn a blank in each of his past four outings. With the help of Claudio Braga and Alexandros Kyziridis, he will hope to end that barren run this afternoon. Alexandros Kyziridis, Claudio Braga and Cammy Devlin have been key to Hearts' success Who will come out on top in midfield battle? While the attacking trio above have generated most of the headlines, the influence of midfielder Cammy Devlin can’t be understated. Simply put, the Australian has been the best player in the country this season. Man-of-the-match displays against Celtic and Rangers this month have underlined his value to the Hearts team. He would stroll into either of their starting XIs. Talks over a new contract are ongoing, but the club better get a move on, because no doubt the list of suitors is only going to get larger week by week. He won’t be the only one on the field today attracting attention, though. Josh Mulligan has been the standout performer for Hibs in the middle of the park, with the former Dundee man being linked with a number of clubs south of the border and abroad in the build-up to the January transfer window. Not bad going for a guy who only joined the club from Dens Park over the summer. He’s been an ever-present throughout the campaign, with many tipping him as a wildcard for Steve Clarke’s Scotland World Cup squad. On this form, it will be hard to ignore him for much longer. No one has been able to get the better of Devlin in the Premiership so far, but Mulligan is perhaps the best bet to do so.

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