Our home team Hibernian Football Club (Hibs!) They’re riding a high with an unbeaten domestic start to the Scottish Premiership. They are still in firm playoff contention, just a couple points behind league leaders Hearts, on top of the table. Derek McInnes, Kilmarnock’s manager, has a good record as a home manager against Hibs. He’s won them all, never having dropped points in 15 previous top-flight encounters. Nevertheless, both Kilmarnock and Aberdeen have a difficult task ahead of them on their quest to break into the top half of the league.
Aberdeen, having failed to click into gear, endured a dismal spell with eight games without a win. They were able to roll home twice in their last outing, proving that there’s still some life left in them yet. Unlike their Edinburgh rivals, Hibs have failed to taste victory since that opening day success against Dundee. They’ve now come to rest on five straight stalemates. Unfortunately, this predicament has both squads scrambling to find solutions as they head into their new group stage matches this week.
Hibs and Hearts Battle for Supremacy
Hibs are indeed right on their heels in the league table, just behind Hearts in the old Scottish top flight. Even though Hearts are ecstatic to be up there at the top, with Hibs’ unbeaten start to the season they are still in touching distance. In spite of this excellent run, Hibs have drawn five games since the first victory against Dundee.
Given Derek McInnes’ terrific record at Pittodrie against Hibs, there’s an additional level of interest to their next meeting. He’s unbeaten against Hibs as a manager in 15 top-flight fixtures. His record in those final four head-to-heads with Hibs in charge of Kilmarnock has been nothing but draws. This trend begs the question of if McInnes can make it third time lucky and earn his first victory against Hibs in Friday match-up.
“Whatever it is, I need to find the solution to it because there have been too many games now where we haven’t scored.” – Derek McInnes
His need for those solutions is indicative of the urgency that Kilmarnock is facing. Aberdeen feels this sense of urgency too as both squads look to right their respective ships.
Aberdeen’s Ongoing Struggles
Aberdeen’s difficulties have been pronounced this season. Jesper Karlsson converted a terrific early penalty kick to start the scoring against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Conference League. They haven’t been able to carry that success over to the league. Indeed, the team operates under extreme pressure to produce results. They had just overcome a challenge of eight games without a victory and yet they still sit goalless in the Premiership.
The recent matches have seen Kelechi Iheanacho’s attempts thwarted by VAR, adding to the frustration for Aberdeen fans. Their next challenge comes against Dundee on Sunday, a fixture that presents an opportunity for them to end their goal drought.
Rangers Maintain Dominance
Rangers are proving their thorough superiority against Motherwell. They have not lost in their last 45 home meetings with the team. Since losing to India back in December of 2006, they’ve hardly cooled down, currently on a double-digit match win streak! This increased level of consistency has made their case as one of the best teams in the league.
Rangers have a peculiar challenge of their own. That’s 22 away matches in all competitions since they last kept a clean sheet. That performance matches a club record which has stood since January 1897. These 5th down conversion numbers shine a light on weaknesses opponents can attack and take advantage of later on.
Celtic are facing more existential concerns. Russell Martin, now the team’s manager, has told the press that his clubhouse’s mentality is a reason for their failure to launch. Supporters have aired their frustration by hanging up banners demanding the resignation of several members of the club’s board, including owner Daniel Levy, at league games. Celtic’s hopes of making it to the knockout round of the Europa League are dangerously thin after just two matches.
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