How Hibs could line up for Scottish Cup tie against Inverness Caledonian Thistle if midfield duo is ruled out

Hibs welcome Inverness Caledonian Thistle to Easter Road on Friday night for the first of the Scottish Cup quarter-final matches this weekend, with a place in the last four of the competition up for grabs.

Jack Ross has steered his side through matches against Dundee United after a replay and Lowland League side BSC Glasgow while the Highlanders saw off Championship rivals Alloa Athletic in a five-goal thriller before taking a Premiership scalp with a 1-0 win over Livingston in the fifth round.

The Capital club's line-up has been largely similar for their last few games, with Ross adopting a 3-4-1-2 formation in order to accommodate a No.10, two strikers and a more resolute backline.

However, with Joe Newell facing a fight to be fit for the clash and Fraser Murray likely to be ruled out through suspension after picking up a red card in an SPFL Reserve Cup tie and a two-match ban with one to be served in a first-team game, Ross will likely have to rejig things on the park and / or on the bench.

Defence

Barring any injuries or illnesses suffered during the week, Ofir Marciano is likely to hang onto the gloves with a back three of Paul McGinn, Adam Jackson and Paul Hanlon in front of him.

Hibs have looked more comfortable at the back following the move to a three-man defence although there are still some issues, as evidenced by Livingston's goal on Saturday and Chris Burke's goal in the 2-1 win at Kilmarnock.

Jackson is proving a threat from set-pieces with two goals in his last three league games while Hanlon has two from his last six. McGinn has settled in to the right centre-back / right-back berth as if he's been part of the team for years and Marciano has kept clean sheets in three of his last nine matches.

Darren McGregor is likely to be named among the subs while Tom James, not included in Saturday's matchday squad, could also be included.

Midfield

Hibs are well-stocked in central midfield even with Stevie Mallan sidelined. On-loan Rangers midfielder Greg Docherty has hit the ground running and the likes of Stephane Omeonga, Vykintas Slivka and Melker Hallberg are all capable of filling roles in the centre while veteran Steven Whittaker has been utilised as a No.6 on occasion.

Against Livingston, Slivka and Docherty lined up in the central roles with Stevenson and Martin Boyle as the wide midfielders / wing backs and Scott Allan as the ten. The personnel available to Ross will allow him to select the same starting quintet against the Caley Jags but he will have a decision to make regarding options on the bench.

Development squad midfielder Innes Murray and the versatile Ben Stirling - both of whom enjoyed first-team experience during pre-season - are out on loan at Airdrie and Alloa respectively, while Josh Campbell is cup-tied having represented loan club Arbroath in an earlier round of the competition.

Steven Whittaker could feature having played against BSC earlier this month and Dundee United in both the original tie and replay in the fourth round.

Forwards

Christian Doidge, who netted his 17th goal of the season in all competitions with the opener against the West Lothian side, is expected to continue up top with loan striker Marc McNulty alongside him. Jamie Gullan will almost certainly be listed among the substitutes while Daryl Horgan is also capable of making an impact off the bench.

Possible team: Marciano; McGinn, Jackson, Hanlon; Boyle, Docherty, Slivka, Stevenson; McNulty, Doidge. Subs from: Bogdan, McGregor, Whittaker, James, Omeonga, Hallberg, Gullan, Horgan.