The former Hearts and Leicester City man says Hearts could make a ‘statement’ with a win over Hibs

The first Edinburgh Derby will take place at Tynecastle on Saturday evening.

Derek McInnes will look to continue his side’s excellent start to the season with a win against Hibs. With the help of Tony Bloom’s investment and Jamestown Analytics, Hearts currently sit top of the SPFL Premiership table and could end up five points clear of Celtic with a victory over their rivals. In their last match, The Jambos demolished Falkirk 3-0 at Tynecastle to resume the feel-good factor around Gorgie.

Hibs have also started the season unbeaten but haven’t registered a win since the opening day. David Gray’s men drew with Celtic at Parkhead in their last match, where they defended resolutely. Despite the Jambos recent domestic dominance, it is the Leith side who have a better record in Edinburgh Derbies of late.

Former Hearts player and manager, Robbie Neilson is currently a coach with Belgian second tier side, Lommel SK however, he insists he’ll be tuning into Saturday’s grudge match with great interest. Speaking on the BBC’s Scottish Football Podcast, Neilson believes it could be a Derby for the ages.

‘A real barnstormer’

Neilson said: “I think it's a massive game from both clubs' perspective, but I think especially for Hearts because they get that opportunity to go five clear of Celtic and also well clear of Rangers. They’d be starting to put massive pressure on both these clubs that they have to go into their games on Sunday and win. But from a football perspective, I'm really looking forward to this game.

“With the restrictions on fans for the Old Firm games, I think the Dundee derby and the Edinburgh derby are the games to go and watch at the moment. Especially to go and be at the stadium because the atmosphere and intensity is absolutely phenomenal. I think tomorrow will be a real barnstormer and I'm really looking forward to it.

“I think both teams have got goals in them, they've both got good strikers, obviously Bowie and Shankland are in-form for both teams, but they've also got a lot of creative players and they've both got a lot of options from the bench. So I can see the game twisting and turning as we go along. I don't see anybody really dominating it.”

‘Consistency’ key for Hearts title challenge

Neilson also discussed the Jambos ambitions to challenge the Old Firm this season and compared it with his own experiences. He said: “I'm absolutely delighted for Derek that he's got great players at his disposal, but I think the key will be consistency, I've had it previously as a manager when we won five on the bounce, then also as a player when we won the first eight or ten games.

“The key will be can you consistently do it? Can you get into November, December, January, February? That's when the real title challenge will come or go. I think when you look at Hearts bench at the moment, I think they've got real strength and depth in it. Between Rangers Celtic and Hearts, I think they're the three clear teams that are quite far ahead.

“I think if they can continue to get away and get a little bit more of a lead, it comes to a point where they could go maybe nine, ten clear of Rangers. That's a lot of points. It then becomes that Rangers are relying on opposition or other teams to beat Hearts. So I think from a Hearts perspective, obviously I’ve been an associate of them for a long time. It's great to see them do well. I just want to see if they can do it over a consistent period, which has always been the difficulty of non-all-firm teams.”

Your next Hearts read: Hearts team v Hibs: Predicted line-up for the Edinburgh derby at Tynecastle