Hamilton v Hibs: Scottish Premiership team news, referee, starting XI, how to watch, match odds

Hibs midfielder Alex Gogic and Andrew Winter of Hamilton battle for the ball during the last meeting betwen the two teams

The Easter Road side came out on top in the first meeting of the 2020/21 campaign but made hard work of their 3-2 win in early October. Victory at the Fountain of Youth Stadium would see the Capital club leapfrog Celtic into second place at least overnight, with the Hoops taking on Kilmarnock on Sunday. Victory would also keep the Hibees ahead of Aberdeen regardless of their result against Ross County.

Team news: A penny for Jack Ross's thoughts ahead of this game. Hibs lined up in a 4-5-1 against Motherwell last time out and while the first half was flat a rousing half-time team-talk stirred Hibs into action and they were much better in the second half with the same tactics. What he also has to consider is that Christian Doidge scored after coming on as a substitute while fellow replacements Jamie Gullan and Stephen McGinn combined for the third goal.

McGinn is unlikely to displace any of the regular starting midfielders but does Ross have a dilemma up front? Could Kevin Nisbet benefit from a rest? If Jamie Murphy isn't fit could Gullan replace him in the starting team? Might Sean Mackie displace Lewis Stevenson at left-back? Could Ross resort to the 4-4-2 set-up or keep faith with the formation that served him well at Fir Park? There are a lot of questions ahead of this fixture, even if the important one is “can Hibs get the three points?”

One thing that is for certain is that the squad depth is such that Ross can make one or two enforced changes without altering his overall strategy. But it's wise to be wary of Hamilton, who recorded a morale-boosting win against Kilmarnock last week and will be looking to build on that when they host Hibs.

Scott Allan will not be involved despite making a return to light training at East Mains but Kyle Magennis could be back in the squad after overcoming injury. However, Hibs might not want to risk him on the artificial surface. Mackie and Alex Gogic could return to contention if they have overcome the minor knocks that kept them out of last weekend’s match.

Possible line-up (4-5-1): Marciano; P McGinn, Porteous, Hanlon, Stevenson; Boyle, Hallberg, Wright. Newell, Murphy; Nisbet. Subs from: Barnes, Doig, Gray, Mackie, McGregor, Mallan, Magennis, Gogic, S McGinn, Gullan, Bradley, Doidge.

Match details: Saturday December 12; kick-off 3.00pm, Fountain of Youth Stadium, Hamilton

How to watch: Hamilton are providing a pay-per-view stream at a cost of £15. Details for signing up are here, and former Hibs striker Darren Jackson will be involved.

Key stat: It’s more than two years since Hibs last won at Hamilton, with an Oli Shaw goal securing the three points.

Referee: Kevin Clancy takes the reins for this fixture, assisted by Sean Carr and Michael Banks.

Match odds: Accies 4/1 Draw 16/5 Hibs 8/13 (odds supplied by McBookie).

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