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Aberdeen logo
Scottish Premiership | Gameweek 4
May 12, 2021 at 7.45pm UK
Pittodrie Stadium
Hibs logo

Aberdeen
0 - 1
Hibernian


Ferguson (87'), Considine (89')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Doidge (41')
McGinn (90+1')

Preview: Aberdeen vs. Hibernian - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Wednesday's Scottish Premiership clash between Aberdeen and Hibernian, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Aberdeen will be hoping to secure a victory that moves them level on points with third-place Hibernian when they lock horns in the Scottish Premiership at Pittodrie on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, the visitors are looking to win back-to-back league meetings with the Dons for the first time since December 2009.


Match preview

Hibernian manager Jack Ross pictured in October 2020© Reuters

Hibernian secured their place in the Scottish Cup final for the first time in five years with a comfortable 2-0 victory against Dundee United at Hampden Park last weekend.

Kevin Nisbet's brilliant strike from outside the penalty area broke the deadlock just before the half-hour mark, before Christian Doidge added a second midway through the second half to book his side's place in the final against St Johnstone later this month.

Hibs had lost the delayed 2019-20 Scottish Cup semi-final to Edinburgh rivals Hearts last October and were also beaten in the Scottish League Cup semi-final to St Johnstone in January this year, but Jack Ross – who is yet to lift silverware as a manager – hailed his side's "strength in character" in progressing to the final.

Ross's men will now turn their attention back to the Scottish Premiership as they look to claim their highest top-flight finish since the 2004-05 campaign.

Hibs are currently in third spot, just three points clear of Wednesday's opponents Aberdeen, who they have failed to beat at Pittodrie in each of their last nine visits.

Securing all three points for the Edinburgh outfit on Wednesday would seal a third-place finish in this season's top flight as well as European qualification.

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

Aberdeen bounced back from their Scottish Cup quarter-final heartache with a 2-1 victory away at Livingston just over a week ago.

Second-half strikes from Callum Hendry and Ryan Hedges gave the Dons a two-goal cushion before Jay Emmanuel-Thomas pulled one back for the hosts 10 minutes from time. Despite a nervy finish to the match, Stephen Glass's men were able to hold on for the three points and their sixth away win of the season.

That result saw Aberdeen claim back-to-back top-flight victories on the road for the first time since September and moved them to within three points of Hibs in third.

The Dons have now also won two of their three league matches under Glass, as many as their previous 14 games before he took charge in April.

Aberdeen, who beat Hibs 2-0 at Pittodrie earlier this season, need to win on Wednesday night if they hope to finish in third place, and then they would also have to better Hibernian's result on the final day, when they face Celtic and the Dons take on champions Rangers.

Aberdeen Scottish Premiership form:
  • L
  • D
  • L
  • W
  • D
  • W

Aberdeen form (all competitions):
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • D
  • L
  • W

Hibernian Scottish Premiership form:
  • L
  • W
  • D
  • L
  • W
  • L

Hibernian form (all competitions):
  • L
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • L
  • W


Team News

Aberdeen's Joe Lewis pictured in November 2020© Reuters

Aberdeen will still be without Ross McCrorie (ankle), Ash Taylor (knock), Greg Leigh (hamstring) and Michael Devlin (ankle) due to injury.

Goalkeeper Joe Lewis is back in training but has still been troubled by the rib problem he suffered during the Scottish Cup clash with Livingston last month and is unlikely to feature on Wednesday.

The Dons were handed a boost for their last match when Hedges returned to the side after three months out with a chest injury. The 25-year-old midfielder will be assessed before kickoff to see whether he is fit enough to start at Pittodrie.

As for Hibernian, goalkeeper Ofir Marciano is expected to be recalled to the starting lineup at the expense of Matt Macey.

Midfielder Alex Gogic, who was suspended for last weekend's Scottish Cup semi-final, is available for Wednesday's game and could start ahead of Melker Hallberg.

Winger Jamie Murphy, who came off the bench to make his first appearance since early March in the win against Dundee United, could be in contention to start which may see Jackson Irvine drop out of the first XI.

Aberdeen possible starting lineup:
Woods; McLennan, Hoban, Considine, McKenzie; Hedges, McGeouch, Campbell, Hayes; Ferguson; Hendry

Hibernian possible starting lineup:
Macey; McGinn, Porteous, Hanlon, Doig; Boyle, Gogic, Newell, Murphy; Nisbet, Doidge


SM words green background

We say: Aberdeen 1-1 Hibernian

Hibernian have struggled to claim points at Pittodrie in recent years but, after a successful weekend, spirits are high with Jack Ross's men and they will be looking to consolidate third spot with a win on Wednesday.

However, Aberdeen have improved since the arrival of manager Glass and, with little to separate the two sides, a score draw could be on the cards.



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.Under 3.5:data



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Written by
Oliver Thomas

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 48.86%. A draw had a probability of 27.5% and a win for Aberdeen had a probability of 23.67%.

The most likely scoreline for a Hibernian win was 0-1 with a probability of 14.47%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (10.02%) and 1-2 (8.76%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.64%), while for an Aberdeen win it was 1-0 (9.13%). The actual scoreline of 0-1 was predicted with a 14.5% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 0-1 win for Hibernian in this match.


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Game History

How you voted: Aberdeen vs Hibernian

Aberdeen
53.3%
Draw
22.2%
Hibernian
24.4%
45
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General view of Aberdeen's Pittodrie Stadium from 2008
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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Celtic1514104444043
2Aberdeen16104230181234
3RangersRangers1510232791832
4Motherwell168172226-425
5Dundee UnitedDundee Utd166642519624
6St Mirren176382228-621
7Dundee165472729-219
8Kilmarnock174581834-1617
9Hibernian173682129-815
10Ross County173681333-2015
11St Johnstone1742112032-1214
12Hearts1734101826-813


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