Temporarily overstretched in defence, boasting an abundance of riches in central midfield and doing more than enough to get by up top, Hibs will approach the first Edinburgh derby of season 2026-27 as a promising but incomplete team. That might be more then enough to get the job done against Hearts at Easter Road tonight.
With the loss of Warren O’Hora leaving the home side short in central defence, at least until new signing Marko Ivezic reports for duty at East Mains, Gray doesn’t have a lot of options to change up his back line. The fact that Owen Elding won’t be fit for this one also diminishes Hibs in the attacking third of the park.
Yet Gray sounds confident when discussing his team’s chances of beating last season’s Scottish Premiership runners-up. And he’s determined not to let Deadline Day - the Scottish transfer window closes at 5 pm this afternoon - interfere with his normal pre-match preparations.
Explaining how he’ll spend today, especially with regard to potential ins and outs that could disrupt his best-lain plans. Gray said: “Just a normal sort of match day, to be honest. Obviously, you're always on the phone regardless.
“I think sitting and waiting on the phone to ring is never the answer, so I'll have my normal routine, as we always do. Players will report at a normal time, as they always do, and I'm always at the stadium four hours before every game, so I'll be very much aware of what's going on, and always on the end of the phone if required.”
Asked if the odd phone call from someone in the recruitment department might provide some welcome distraction from the tension of a pre-derby build-up, a grinning Gray said: “It depends what the phone call is, whether it's good news or bad news, I suppose!
“With this game, you never take your mind off it. You never release. There are a million and one things going on in your head.”
Team selection will have been uppermost in Gray’s thoughts over the past few days. Here’s how we think his team will line up:
9. CAM/LW/No. 10 Jamie McGrath
High footballing IQ makes him invaluable in this sort of a game, as he's asked to play different roles at different stages of the contest. | SNS Group
10. CF/No. 10 Martin Boyle
Hearts look vulnerable to anything played in behind and chased at pace. Martin Boyle, come on down ...
