Edinburgh rivals meet again in Scottish Cup

Sunday’s Scottish Cup match between Edinburgh rivals Hibs and Hearts will be their third meeting of the season and, as usual, it’s totally unpredictable.

The first match between the pair this season was a resounding 4-0 win for Hearts at Easter Road – a wake up call for Grant Scott’s side who are hoping to close in on their rivals this season.

That victory suggested the second meeting at Tynecastle would end up in another Hearts’ win.

Enter Rosie Livingstone. The youngster came on in the 60th minute and marked her return from injury with a stunning goal with 10 minutes to play which sealed all three points for Hibs.

Hearts and Hibs are separated by three points in the league table although the former have scored more, won more games and conceded fewer goals.

In terms of shots on target (including goals), Hearts have only had one more – 114 compared to Hibs’ 112. In defence, Hearts have only conceded seven goals from 105 shots conceded while Hibs have conceded 13 from 102 shots faced.

Up top, Hibs’ strikers Eilidh Adams and Kathleen McGovern have scored 26 goals between them while Bayley Hutchison and Georgia Timms have netted 14 together.

But, Eva Olid’s side have scored significantly more goals from midfield and clearly have a threat all over the pitch, while Hibs’ threat is more focused in attacking areas.

Last season, Hearts lost out in the final of the competition to Rangers and will be eager to get back to that place and go one better. While Hibs have lifted the trophy eight times in their history but not since 2017.

The next step in the development of both teams is to add some silverware to the trophy cabinet but only one of them will go a step closer on Sunday.