Exclusive:Hearts foursome to cause Hibs havoc - and the Hampden history on their side
Premier Sports Cup semi-final is an all-Edinburgh affair in Glasgow
Strolling out of Hampden Park’s tunnel is a goosebumps moment even when the place is empty. Doing so in front of 23,000 Hearts fans before a national cup semi-final against Hibs is fairytale stuff. All that matters is a happy ending. Legend would have it that Hearts are the dominant characters when these teams meet in Glasgow. Mount Florida’s slopes have witnessed much celebration from maroon-clad audiences while their neighbours shuffle out of exits at the opposite end. Those from Gorgie will again arrive with anticipation and expectation on Sunday.
Hearts are overwhelming favourites to win the Premier Sports Cup semi-final against a Hibs team sitting joint-bottom of the Premiership table. Winless under new manager Marink Reedijk, the Easter Road support do not have fond memories against their Edinburgh rivals at the national stadium. All four previous meetings between the clubs there - 2006, 2012, 2020 and 2022 - were won by the Tynecastle side. Indeed, Hearts have played at Hampden 10 times since their famous 5-1 triumph over Hibs there in the 2012 Scottish Cup final. The only teams they have beaten are Hibs [twice] and Inverness Caledonian Thistle [once].
Tynecastle supporters now expect this fixture to bring out the best in their club, hence a sold-out ticket allocation taking out Hampden’s entire west side. They will demand Hearts attack their rivals and go for the jugular. Hampden’s wide-open playing surface lends itself perfectly to head coach Wouter Vrancken’s football philosophy: Two wingers, a high press, aggression, energy, pace, combination play and goals. His front four have the potential to decide the outcome of this tie and propel the team into the final against Rangers or Aberdeen.
Josh McPake, Calvin Miller, Sabah Kerjota and Claudio Braga are expected to lead the Hearts attack. Vrancken’s 4-2-3-1 formation flips into a definite 4-2-4 when on the offensive. Opponents sometimes become overwhelmed by bodies running at them. St Mirren lost 5-0 at Tynecastle Park in the league earlier this month. Inverness were hit for six there earlier in this competition. Hibs suffered a 3-1 loss when Hearts visited Leith last month.
Vrancken will step off the team bus beneath Hampden’s main stand with a clearly-defined gameplan. If his attackers are on form, Hibs will encounter a difficult afternoon. The intention is to utilise space. “It’s depends on your quality in the game. Are you dominating or are you having difficulty in quality? Let’s hope we can make it our advantage and push it like this,” said Vrancken, speaking exclusively to the Edinburgh News. “That means we have to be energetic, show full intensity and our quality on the ball has to be there. Knowing the weight of the game, it’s massive for the fans. You must know that but you also must look where you put your energy and your emotions when you have things you have to do on the pitch.”
Whether James Wilson misses out on a starting place has yet to be decided for certain. “It depends what we want in our gameplan. Calvin and Claudio did really well together in the central position [against Rangers in midweek],” said Vrancken. “It’s a bit different than before, but James and Claudio already played a lot of good games together. We will make a decision on what we want.”
Nine Hearts first-team regulars have been out injured lately. Only two of them, Rogers Mato and Stuart Findlay, have an outside chance of being fit for Sunday. This will be the seventh of nine matches inside a month for the Tynecastle squad. “We don’t have too many players to rotate in some positions. We are already playing with some players out of position. That is not easy,” acknowledged Vrancken.
“But, when you see the players perform in these circumstances, I’m a really proud coach at the moment. We had a lot of positives in the last few matches. We played a lot of big games. Because were a bit naive and open, there was one bad result [at Celtic], but the other games were good performances especially when you remember all the injuries. We have to count on our full squad but it gives you some motivation when you see the team play like they did on Wednesday against a really good side like Rangers.”
Winning at Easter Road might provide a slight psychological advantage. As may the fact Vrancken knows Reedijk fairly well from their time working in Belgium last season with Sint-Truiden and Beveren respectively. “Winning always does good things for your mindset, but you cannot rely on what you did before,” cautioned Vrancken. “You have to focus on what is coming. There are different circumstances. It’s in Glasgow. We have more than 23,000 fans supporting us. The opponent has a different style of play and a different manager. There are some different names than the first game. We have to use our energy there.”
Speaking of energy, Tomas Magnusson is likely to be another central figure this weekend. The Icelandic midfielder was everywhere during Wednesday’s 2-2 draw against Rangers at Tynecastle and is certain to play against Hibs. He has the required stamina and legs to get around that big Hampden pitch. “Everybody has an important role on Sunday. I think Tomas played his best game of the season so far against Rangers, so let’s hope he can keep his level,” stated Vrancken. “We will need everybody on Sunday. It’s an all-or-nothing game. We cannot leave somebody out, we have to count on everybody.”
Magnusson was a bit-part figure during the early weeks of the season as Vrancken sussed out some players. With central midfielders Oisin McEntee, Blair Spittal, Tom Renaud and Eduardo Ageu all injured, Magnusson is enjoying a more prominent role. “I’ve got to grasp my chance now. We are short in midfield and it’s just me and [Laurent] Mendy who are the fit midfielders,” the player told the Edinburgh News. “Jordi [Altena] has played well there lately but I enjoyed Wednesday. Now we need to turn up again on Sunday.
“I’ve never been to Hampden before so this will be my first experience. My experiences playing against Hibs have been mainly positive [his record is three wins and one loss from four Edinburgh derby appearances]. We need to use that as fuel for our fire on Sunday. I think it helps that we beat them at Easter Road last month but they have a new manager now. That win gives us something, although this is a different competition, it’s a semi-final at a neutral ground. This is the kind of game you want to play in. We are in Europe, then there’s the league and cup, so this is what you want to be doing.”
Playing in front of a sold-out Hearts end at Hampden? “Well, that’s an upper hand. That’s amazing. It shows the fanbase is behind us,” he said. And at a ground where his team have never lost against Hibs? “Let’s keep it like that, then. We have to keep the streak going.”