Edinburgh derby gets rare timeslot as Hibs v Hearts date and kick-off time are confirmed

Next month’s Edinburgh derby between Hibs and Hearts at Easter Road will stay in its traditional Saturday timeslot following Sky Sports’ decision not to broadcast the match live.

The Premiership match between Ross County and Aberdeen in Dingwall has been moved to Friday, April 14, at 7.45pm to accommodate Sky. The broadcaster also selected Kilmarnock v Celtic that weekend, which will now kick off at noon on Sunday, April 16.

The decision not to take Hibs v Hearts means the derby will stay as a 3pm kick-off on Saturday, April 15. It will be only the second time in nearly 17 years that a league match between the Capital clubs has taken place on the original day and time. It happened at the same stage last season, but previous to that the last Saturday derby without a live television broadcast was back in April 2006.

Both Hibs and Hearts are chasing third place in the Premiership and next month’s fixture could be pivotal to the outcome. Hearts currently hold a five-point lead over their city rivals in the table as they aim to secure European football for the second consecutive season.

Provided both clubs secure places in the top six, they will meet again at Tynecastle Park in May for the final league derby of the campaign.