Scottish Championship leaders Ayr United will host top-flight side Hibernian at Somerset Park on Friday in their Scottish FA Cup fifth-round clash.
The hosts defeated Broxburn Athletic 8-0 to progress into this round, while the visitors comfortably beat Clydebank FC 3-0 in their fourth round tie.
Match preview
© Imago
Ayr United are enjoying a strong 2024-25 season, currently sitting top of the Scottish Championship table with 47 points after 23 matches, from 14 wins, five draws and four defeats.
Scott Brown's side are not only on the hunt for promotion to the top division, but also aiming to advance their Scottish Cup campaign, with the hosts having already defeated Greenock Morton and Broxburn Athletic to reach this stage.
Ayr will be boosted by having the home advantage in the tie, with the Honest Men suffering just one defeat at Somerset Park across all competitions this term, while they are also in encouraging form heading into this one.
The hosts are undefeated in their last eight outings in all tournaments, recording seven wins and one draw in that time, but Friday's matchup will be their toughest challenge so far.
Their opponents, Hibernian, are one of the most in-form teams in the Scottish Premiership, with their recent run of results helping them to rapidly climb the table after a shaky start to the campaign.
Hibs won just two of their opening 16 league fixtures, drawing six and losing eight, leaving them at the bottom of the standings with only 12 points.
However, David Gray's men have embarked on a stunning run in the subsequent matches, remaining unbeaten in the following 10 games with seven wins and three draws.
Those results have propelled Hibs to fifth in the league table, while they also secured their spot in the fifth round of the competition by defeating Clydebank in the previous stage.
Now, Hibs, eager to extend their impressive run of results, will be confident of claiming victory given their recent form and higher division status.
Team News
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The hosts are heading into this game on the back of a superb run of eight games without a defeat, meaning Brown could decide to name a similar starting 11 for this one.
George Oakley has netted 14 times in 32 games for Ayr this season, including seven in his last five appearances, and the striker is expected to start alongside Jay Henderson on Friday.
As for the visitors, Joe Newell (groin), Marvin Ekpiteta (thigh) and Thody Elie Youan (foot) are all ruled out for the match due to ongoing injury issues.
Elsewhere, Gray may look to field a largely unchanged starting team that has secured seven wins and three draws in their last 10 outings, with top scorer Martin Boyle leading the line.
Ayr United possible starting lineup:
Stone; Stanger, Agbaire, McMann; Watret, McLennan, Dempsey, Murphy, Reading; Henderson, Oakley
Hibernian possible starting lineup:
Smith; O'Hora, Kiranga, Iredale; C Cadden, Triantis, Levitt, N Cadden; Campbell; Boyle, Gayle
We say: Ayr United 0-2 Hibernian
Both teams are enjoying strong runs heading into this one, but with the visitors boasting the superior talent throughout their squad, we believe Hibernian will win here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
