The Edinburgh outfit are looking to progress to the semi-finals for the fourth time in seven years, while the Steelmen are hoping to reach the last four for the first time since the 2017-18 season.

Match preview

Hibernian manager Jack Ross pictured in October 2020 © Reuters

Hibernian are on course for their highest top-flight finish since the 2004-05 campaign after beating Livingston 2-1 at Easter Road on Wednesday evening.

First-half strikes from Kevin Nisbet and Martin Boyle put Jack Ross's side two goals in front and although they conceded a penalty in the 85th minute, which Jay Emmanuel-Thomas converted, Hibs were able to hold on for all three points.

That result moved them seven points clear of Aberdeen in fourth, with only three Scottish Premiership matches left to play.

Hibs now turn their attention back to the Scottish Cup, a competition which they have won three times in their history, most recently in the 2015-16 campaign when they beat Rangers 3-2 in the final.

The Edinburgh outfit have failed to score in four of their last six meetings with Motherwell, including the two matches on home soil against them this season.

Ross would love to lift his first major piece of silverware as a manager with Hibernian this campaign, and now that holders Celtic have been eliminated from the competition, their chances of success have seemingly increased.

Graham Alexander, now in charge of Motherwell, pictured in September 2020 © Reuters

Graham Alexander is also keen to win silverware and will be hoping to guide Motherwell to their first trophy since they lifted the 1990-91 Scottish Cup.

The Steelmen have beaten two teams from lower divisions to get to this stage, winning against Formartine United and Greenock Morton, but now face a much tougher test this weekend against a Premiership side.

Including their triumph on penalties against Morton last Friday, Motherwell have won six of their last seven matches in all competitions, including a 2-0 league victory away at Hibs in February.

The Steelmen's most recent win was on Wednesday evening against rivals Hamilton Academical, with Mark O'Hara's goal in the 37th minute enough to claim a 1-0 victory for Alexander's men.

That result ensured Motherwell's top-flight status for another season and they can now focus on progressing to the latter stages of the Scottish Cup.

The last time these two sides faced each other in the Scottish Cup was back in 1995, with Hibs winning 2-0 in the fourth round at Easter Road, however a victory for the Steelmen on Saturday would see them progress to the semi-finals for only the third time in the last 17 years.

Hibernian Scottish Cup form:

Hibernian form (all competitions):

Motherwell Scottish Cup form:

Motherwell form (all competitions):

Team News

Kevin Nisbet pictured for Hibernian in October 2020 © Reuters

Ross is hopeful that left-back Josh Doig will be fit for Saturday's game, after he missed Hibernian's midweek fixture with a back problem.

Midfielder Chris Cadden is, however, set to miss out after picking up a knock in training last week.

Goalkeeper Matt Macey has started the previous two Scottish Cup matches ahead of number one Ofir Marciano and could keep his place in the side.

For Motherwell, Alexander may decide to stick with the 3-5-2 formation that he used against Hamilton in midweek.

Centre-back Bevis Mugabi has not started a game since February, but is in contention to feature and could replace either Declan Gallagher, Ricki Lamie or Tyler Magloire in the starting lineup.

Forward Jordan Roberts, who has missed the last two games with a knee injury, will be assessed before kickoff to see if he can feature this weekend.

Goalkeepers Scott Fox and Trevor Carson, as well as Sherwin Seedorf, Liam Donnelly and Charles Dunne, remain out with knee injuries, while Tony Watt is close to recovering from a knock picked up against Livingston last month but is not expected to feature on Saturday.

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

Motherwell possible starting lineup:
Kelly; Magloire, Gallagher, Lamie; O'Donnell, Campbell, Crawford, O'Hara, McGinley; Cole, Long

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We say: Hibernian 2-1 Motherwell

Both Hibs and Motherwell have been in good form over the past month and with nothing left to play for in the league, the two sides will be keen to see their cup run continue with a win on Saturday.

The home team have not won this fixture in each of the last four meetings, but we feel that the form of Nisbet, Boyle and Christian Doidge in front of goal can help the Edinburgh outfit seal their place in the semi-finals.

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 43.42%. A win for Motherwell had a probability of 29.85% and a draw had a probability of 26.7%.

The most likely scoreline for a Hibernian win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.49%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.8%) and 2-0 (7.98%). The likeliest Motherwell win was 0-1 (9.13%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.68%).