Preview: Aberdeen vs. Hibernian - prediction, team news, lineups

The two sides have an identical record after playing 24 games apiece, having amassed 26 points by scoring 29 goals and conceding 39.

Match preview

Having finished inside the top four positions in the Scottish Premiership in nine of the last 10 seasons, the current campaign represents one of Aberdeen's poorest ones in what has overall been a very successful era for the club.

For the third time in eight years, the Dons were beaten finalists in the League Cup when losing 1-0 to Rangers in December. Since then, Barry Robson has been sacked as manager, with Neil Warnock taking his first ever job in Scotland on an interim basis until the end of the season.

The 75-year-old was beaten 2-1 by Rangers in his first game in charge, before Aberdeen bounced back with a routine 2-0 win against Bonnyrigg Rose to move into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. On Wednesday evening, Warnock's side showed incredible spirit to come from three goals down at home to Motherwell and secure a 3-3 draw.

Duk and Theo Bair shared braces for each team, after Stefan Gartenmann had crucially pulled one back before half time. With a seven-point cushion in front of Ross County, relegation should not be a major concern for Warnock or his players, and they could jump as high as sixth in the table by securing their first league win under the Yorkshireman on Saturday.

Hibernian, meanwhile, have been on a poor run in the league themselves. Since beating Aberdeen on December 3, Hibs have claimed just five points from their last nine matches, with their 2-1 defeat at home to league leaders Celtic last time out their fourth defeat in their last five matches at Easter Road.

As such, Nick Montgomery and his players may be glad to be on the road once again on Saturday, having defeated Inverness Caledonian Thistle 3-1 away from home to move into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup last weekend. Myziane Maolida broke the deadlock 10 minutes after the break, before goals from Martin Boyle and Elie Youan set up a home tie against Rangers.

Indeed, Hibs have been remarkably successful in both Scottish cups in recent years. If they can pull off an upset against Rangers on March 8, they would move into their 15th cup semi-final since reaching the FA Cup final in the 2011-12 campaign. Of course, they went on to win that competition for the first time in more than a century in 2015-16.

In the league, Montgomery's main focus will be on steering his players away from any danger, as they have rarely had any trouble since winning the Championship in 2016-17. A third win from three league meetings against Aberdeen this season would certainly do wonders for their league position.

Aberdeen Scottish Premiership form:

D

L

D

D

L

D

Aberdeen form (all competitions):

L

D

D

L

W

D

Hibernian Scottish Premiership form:

L

D

L

D

L

L

Hibernian form (all competitions):

W

L

D

L

L

W

Team News

Aberdeen will remain without Slobodan Rubezic due to a knee injury, with the midfielder unlikely to return to first-team action before the end of the season. James McGarry may also need more time to recover from his hamstring issue.

Duk should start after coming off the bench to score twice in midweek, with Warnock making two subs on the half-hour mark after seeing his side fall 3-0 behind. Angus MacDonald was the other player to be called upon at an early stage, and it is difficult to see Shayden Morris and Dante Polvara retaining their starting berths after that humiliation.

Hibernian, meanwhile, will travel without Josh Campbell and Jake Doyle-Hayes due to ankle injuries, but Montgomery appears to have a clean bill of health at his disposal otherwise.

The 45-year-old, who played under Warnock at Sheffield United, could also make changes after effectively using his bench in the cup last weekend. Youan scored after coming on at half time, with former Premier League stars Adam Le Fondre and Emiliano Marcondes also arriving late to the party at Partick.

Aberdeen possible starting lineup:

Roos; MacDonald, Gartenmann, McKenzie; Devlin, Barron, Shinnie, Clarkson, McGrath; Duk, Miovski

Hibernian possible starting lineup:

Marshall; Miller, Fish, Triantis, Obita; Boyle, Marcondes, Newell, Levitt, Youan; Maolida

We say: Aberdeen 2-2 Hibernian

With both teams boasting identical records after 24 games of the season, this should be a closely-fought affair. Warnock and Montgomery will be relishing going up against each other after spending several years together at Sheff Utd.

Both sides have outside relegation fears, but in reality, they should have more than enough quality to survive. We are predicting an entertaining draw at Pittodrie on Saturday.

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