Hearts vs Hibernian Prediction: A must win contest for the home team

On Saturday afternoon, as the Scottish Premiership season winds down, Hearts will host Edinburgh rivals Hibernian at Tynecastle. Hearts, in fifth place, and Hibs, in fourth, are separated by only two points and will fight to the finish for the title of "capital's best" on the final weekend of the season.

Hearts will enter Saturday's matchup with confidence after playing to a spirited 2-2 draw with Rangers on Wednesday at Ibrox despite allowing 19 shots and seeing only 30% of the ball. The visitors took an early lead thanks to a goal from star striker Lawrence Shankland; however, goals from Todd Cantwell and Fashion Sakala tied the game, and then 18-year-old substitute Garang Kuol scored an equalizer in the 94th minute to salvage a point for Hearts. The Jam Tarts have won two and drawn two of their past five matches, with a 6-1 thumping of Ross County and a hard-fought 2-1 success against Aberdeen earlier this month setting the tone for Wednesday's performance. Two of the last three home league games for Steven Naismith's squad were triumphs, and Hearts have scored two or more goals in 11 of their 12 league victories at Tynecastle this season. The Jam Tarts will enter this match with confidence after defeating Hibernian 3-0 in a memorable home game in January, largely due to another Shankland brace.

Hibernian, meanwhile, defeated Celtic 4-2 on Wednesday, embarrassing the defending champions in front of the home crowd at Easter Road after coming back from a 2-1 deficit. The game turned after Daizen Maeda was sent off in the second half; Hibs scored three times in the closing 15 minutes to upset the league leaders, with French attacker Elie Youan scoring twice. After dropping four consecutive games in March and April, the Hibees have won three of their last six games while losing just one. Despite the fact that Lee Johnson's team hasn't won any of their last four away games, they've drawn twice and lost once, and they've lost only twice in their last eight Premier League games on the road. However, Hibs have only kept one clean sheet in their last eight away league matches; therefore, they will likely struggle to do so against Hearts, who have the third-best attacking record in the division.

Hearts possible starting lineup:

Clark; Atkinson, Sibbick, Hill, Rowles; Devlin, Haring; Oda, Shankland, Forrest; Ginnelly

Hibernian possible starting lineup:

Marshall; Miller, Fish, Hanlon, Egan-Riley, Stevenson; Doyle-Hayes, Jeggo, Newell; Youan, Nisbet

Both teams have a lot riding on this match, and considering how they played in their most recent games, both sides have demonstrated determination and perseverance in their pursuit for a berth in Europe. In spite of this, given that Hearts will be playing at home, I do not believe that the home club will end up on the losing end of a match that will most certainly involve a number of defensive plays.