Sports Mole previews Saturday's Scottish Premiership clash between Hibernian and Dundee United, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

After losing their first game of the Scottish Premiership this season, Hibernian will be looking to bounce back at the first attempt when they host Dundee United on Saturday.

The visitors got back to winning ways at the weekend after two games without a victory, and they have the possibility of overtaking the Hibees with another three points in this fixture.

Match preview

Hibernian manager Jack Ross pictured in May 2021 © Reuters

Jack Ross was left disappointed after witnessing his team miss out on the chance to go top last weekend when they travelled to face Rangers.

Hibernian were handed their first defeat of the season by the current table-toppers, even though they had a dream start, taking the lead in the eighth minute of the game via Kevin Nisbet.

A red card in the first half for Ryan Porteous instantly made things much harder for the Hibees, and they were unable to hold on as Kemar Roofe and Alfredo Morelos helped secure a 2-1 win for the Gers.

However, the club still remain only four points behind the defending champions, and a victory on Saturday could see them end the weekend in second place.

Hibernian have only failed to score in one game across all competitions in the 2021-22 campaign so far, and those attacking qualities could be needed against Dundee United.

Dundee United's Calum Butcher in action with Hibernian's Kevin Nisbet in the Scottish FA Cup on May 8, 2021 © Reuters

No team have conceded fewer goals than the Tangerines in the Scottish Premiership to this point, having only let in five goals, and their defensive abilities were on full display when they faced Ross County at the weekend.

Tam Courts will have been pleased with how his team performed as they kept a clean sheet and picked up three points thanks to a goal from Ilmari Niskanen.

This extended their current unbeaten run to four games in the league, with Dundee United heading into this particular fixture with plenty of confidence as they continue to climb the table.

They sit just one point behind Hibernian at the moment, making this a crucial match for both teams in terms of their place in the division, especially when the Tangerines have Celtic and St Mirren waiting for them to slip up.

However, Courts will be well aware of the fact they only faced the Hibees in September when they met in the Scottish League Cup quarter-final, which led to his team being knocked out.

Hibernian were dominant in the game, with three goals in the first half putting things beyond Dundee United, with a second-half finish from Peter Pawlett being a mere consolation as they suffered a 3-1 loss.

Hibernian Scottish Premiership form:

Hibernian form (all competitions):

Dundee United Scottish Premiership form:

Dundee United form (all competitions):

Team News

Hibernian's Martin Boyle pictured in October 2020 © Reuters

Hibernian will be without Porteous for Saturday's game due to his suspension, which means a change will be needed at the back, with Alex Gogic likely being set to benefit from that.

Ross was without Christian Doidge, Kyle Magennis and Melker Hallberg for the defeat against Rangers as well, and they could all be out of action again this weekend.

However, the Hibees were boosted by the fact Josh Doig was fit enough to start against the Gers after some concerns, while Jake Doyle-Hayes also returned to the team.

In the attack, Ross does boost two confident and in-form strikers with Nisbet and Martin Boyle, and it is expected that they will lead the line on Saturday.

For Dundee United, the club could be set to debut new signing Maxime Biamou, who will provide a fresh attacking option.

Defensively, Courts brought Charlie Mulgrew back into the starting lineup for the victory against Ross County, and because they kept a clean sheet, he could end up retaining his place in the team.

Hibernian possible starting lineup:
Macey; McGinn, Gogic, Hanlon; Doig, Doyle-Hayes, Newell, Allan, Cadden; Nisbet, Boyle

Dundee United possible starting lineup:
Siegrist; Freeman, Edwards, Mulgrew, McMann; Pawlett, Fuchs, Levitt, Harkes, Niskanen; Clark

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We say: Hibernian 1-1 Dundee United

Dundee United are notoriously difficult to score past this season, which could lead to frustrations for Hibernian, who are a confident attacking team.

Despite the fact they ran away with a comfortable win in the Scottish League Cup, things are unlikely to be that simple this time, which is why a draw could be likely between two squads close together in the division.

Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Hibernian win with a probability of 51.97%. A draw had a probability of 26.6% and a win for Dundee United had a probability of 21.46%.

The most likely scoreline for a Hibernian win was 1-0 with a probability of 14.64%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (10.73%) and 2-1 (8.99%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.26%), while for a Dundee United win it was 0-1 (8.36%). The actual scoreline of 0-3 was predicted with a 1% likelihood.