Hibernian shall be hoping to extend their six-match undefeated run on Saturday when they travel to the Pittodrie Stadium in order to face Aberdeen in their latest Scottish Premiership outing.
The Dons are sitting just above the relegation zone, and need every point that they get can get in order to maintain their status in the top flight.
Match preview
© Reuters
Aberdeen have had a tough second half to the season, which has resulted in the club dropping down the table, finding themselves involved in a late relegation battle alongside St Johnstone and Dundee.
Right now, the Dons have the advantage, sitting 10th in the table and they have an eight-point gap, but that is not something the team will want to risk potentially being shrunk.
However, the club are 11 games without a victory in the league heading into this match, being out of form, and without confidence, which is something that they will be desperate to change.
Aberdeen have failed to score in their two most recent outings, which has added further pressure onto the attacking players, which they will need to address.
A 2-0 loss against Hearts was followed by a 1-0 defeat to Rangers, despite their best defensive efforts, as it took until the 81st minute for Kemar Roofe to secure the result for the Gers.
© Reuters
Hibernian have been in completely contrasting form, having been undefeated in the six games that lead into this one, which is something that they will be hoping to continue until the end of the season.
The club are level on points with Livingston, while there are four teams just one below them, showcasing how tight it is in the middle of the table, meaning there could be a big drop with a defeat.
The Hibees have showcased their defensive strength in the league as of late, with a trio of goalless draws, but now the expectation will be to add some offensive qualities to that as well.
Shaun Maloney's men enjoyed playing the Scottish Cup last weekend, and they managed to secure a place within the semi-finals thanks to a brace from Elias Melkersen.
Both teams have a victory over the other in their previous two meetings this season, making this the rubber match, but Hibernian did win the most recent encounter 1-0, with the goal scored by Ryan Porteous.
- L
- D
- D
- D
- L
- L
- L
- D
- D
- D
- L
- L
- L
- L
- W
- D
- D
- D
- W
- W
- D
- D
- D
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Aberdeen will be without club captain Scott Brown, who has left the Dons last week as he is now placing all of his focus onto coaching, with his desire to become a manager.
Adam Montgomery missed out on their most recent game as well due to injury, and while they have not played in two weeks, there are still question marks about his status.
Hibernian will be boosted by the return of Rocky Bushiri, who is no longer suspended and is once again available to be selected by Maloney, meanwhile, Paul Hanlon has also been back training throughout the week.
Joe Newell was brought back into the starting XI last weekend following injury, and Matt Macey also got some minutes as well, with the Hibees team coming back to full strength at the right time.
However, there were problems as well for the squad last week as Josh Doig and Ewan Henderson both had to be substituted due to their own issues, they will be assessed and therefore are doubts.
Aberdeen possible starting lineup:
Lewis; Hayes, Bates, Gallagher, Ojo; Barron, McCrorie, Besuijen, Ferguson; Ramirez, McLennan
Hibernian possible starting lineup:
Macey; Mueller, Porteous, Cadden; Stevenson, Newell, Campbell, Wright; Doidge, Jasper; Melkersen
We say: Aberdeen 0-2 Hibernian
Aberdeen need some points soon in order to help aid their fight against relegation, with the club doing everything they can to not be dropped down a division.
However, Hibernian are playing with confidence right now, and that is something that could push into this match in a bid to help them get another victor here.
Top tip
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 Aberdeen win with a probability of 48%. A draw had a probability of 26.3% and a win for Hibernian had a probability of 25.74%.
The most likely scoreline for an Aberdeen win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.4%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.14%) and 2-0 (9.13%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.43%), while for a Hibernian win it was 0-1 (8.45%). The actual scoreline of 3-1 was predicted with a 4.5% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Aberdeen would win this match.