The Hibs-Hearts superhero status on offer in another high-stakes Edinburgh derby

Of recent strikes, some of the more eye-catching ones have been from defenders. Jack Iredale’s one and only Hibs goal so far came in quite remarkable fashion when the no-nonsense Australian defender let fly from outside the penalty box to beat Craig Gordon last season with a strike that won some goal of the season awards and sparked a rendition of Sunshine on Leith.

Equally out of the blue was Hearts centre-half Toby Sibbick gallivanting up the Easter Road pitch in January 2023 to score the third goal in a 3-0 Scottish Cup triumph for the Jam Tarts. Not one on the derby-day bingo card - but certainly for the memory bank.

Sibbick won’t be at Easter Road this time around. He’s long since left Edinburgh and now plays for Burton Albion, although right now he is at the Africa Cup of Nations with Uganda. Iredale is still a key part of the Hibs team, although his job is to keep goals out, not fire in spectacular winners.

Iredale will need to pay particular attention to Lawrence Shankland. Not only is the Hearts captain the Premiership’s top goalscorer with nine strikes, he is also the last man in maroon to score a derby winner at Easter Road. Exactly two years ago, he latched on to a long clearance in stoppage time, outmuscled Hibs defender Rocky Bushiri and curled home high into the net to send the visiting Hearts support tonto.

Since December 27, 2023, Hearts have only prevailed in one derby - the one back on October 4 this year when Craig Halkett side-footed Sabah Kerjota’s cross home in the 91st minute. That win snapped a four-game drought for Hearts on the back of some painful defeats last season to a Hibs team that ended up finishing third in the Premiership.

This time it is fifth-placed Hibs looking up at their rivals. Since their last meeting, Hearts have gone from strength to strength. They sit top of the league by six points and are being discussed as serious title challengers. Sixteen points separate the two sides. Hearts’ renaissance under current head coach Derek McInnes, backed by Tony Bloom’s Jamestown Analytics and wave of optimism from Gorgie, is stark.

Shankland and his Hearts support act

Shankland has been front and centre of all good things Hearts - but he is an able support cast. Summer signings Claudio Braga and Alexandros Kyziridis are just as likely to produce a magic moment, while behind them Cammy Devlin has proved to be one of the best midfielders in the league. Defensively, Hearts have the tightest backline in the division, having shipped 14 goals. They are top scorers with 36, stats that emphasise why they are currently the best team in Scotland.

Amid a run of just one defeat in 18 league games are home and away scalps of Celtic and Rangers, plus the aforementioned triumph over Hibs. It would be beyond the wildest dreams of the even the most hallucinogenic Hearts fans to beat those three teams twice before the year is out.

By close of play on Saturday, we will be at the halfway point of the league season. Nothing is decided at the end of December but Hearts may publicly state - depending on the result - something that we have known for a while: they are genuine title contenders.

Nobody wants to lose a derby at the best of times but we have reached a watershed moment for each side. Should Hearts win - the bookies make them slight favourites - then they spring into 2026 with all manner of hope and optimism. A defeat would give second-placed Celtic, six points behind with a game in hand, and even Motherwell and Rangers - who face each other - a chance to gain ground. Derby results have a habit of shaping narratives.

Hibs don’t have title aspirations but the stakes are pretty high for them too. Their astonishing rise from bottom place to third last season was so commendable but they aren’t quite the same force of old, partly due to other teams improving - not least Hearts. While Hibs have stagnated, others have progressed. They sit fifth primarily down to the concession of cheap, late goals at key times in fixtures and their trio of good strikers in Martin Boyle, Kieron Bowie and Thibault Klidje not showing the ruthlessness of those above them.

There is also a lack of statement result domestically this season. Their best performances were saved for the start of the campaign in Europe, doing ever so well against Midtjylland, Partizan Belgrade and Legia Warsaw. In six meetings with Rangers (thrice), Celtic (twice) and Hearts (once), their best result was a goalless draw at Parkhead borne out of a defensive masterclass.

Hibs fans crave more - especially when Hearts are flying so high. Head coach David Gray has done well not to plummet as spectacularly as recent fellow young third-placed Steven Naismith and Barry Robson, who lost their jobs not long after finishing best of the rest. But a defeat in this derby will bring consequences.

The green-and-white support have been largely patient with Gray, a club legend with credit in the bank from last season and under no real pressure from the Hibs hierarchy. Yet memories only span for so long and a festive stuffing from Hearts would not go down well given the current disparity between the two teams. Hibs are a good Scottish Premiership side but have yet to show that they are top-four material.

There would be no better time to announce themselves than now. Easier said than done, though, against a Hearts team with loftier ambitions. They are already on the scene. Their cause is almost greater. That’s why the next derby winning goalscorer could be a superhero.