Hibs kick off Scottish Premiership season with high hopes - so what should fans expect in Gray's second year?
After Europa League agony, Dundee lie in wait on day one of SPFL campaign
Well, it certainly can’t be worse than last year, right? Let’s go further than that, even – and assert that there is no conceivable scenario which involves Hibs suffering a heavy loss in their opening game of Scottish Premiership season 2025-26 this afternoon.
Yes, they’ll be tired after their European exertions. A problem they hope to wrestle with for a little while yet, anyway.
David Gray will be hoping that a combination of ice baths, heat packs and intensive stretching has worked to good effect on his players, rendering even the physical toll taken by Thursday night’s heart-breaking Europa League exit after extra time at Easter Road a minor concern. The psychological damage incurred might be a different matter altogether.
But the cohesive, coherent and well-drilled Hibs side who kick off the new campaign bears almost no resemblance to the hastily-assembled collection of players thrown into the fray at this stage last season. Having proven their mettle by finishing third in the table from the most unpromising of starting positions, they’re a forced to be reckoned with.
Pressley in charge of Dundee
So what should fans expect at Dens Park today? Certainly nothing resembling the 3-0 scudding they took in Paisley in round one of the league fixtures last time out. Let’s take a look at how Hibs shape up for another campaign that promises to be as dramatic as ever.
Expectations
Finish third. Simple as that. Possibly win a cup along the way. And, although it’s looking a lot tougher now, get into the league phase of European football for the first time. You don’t ask for much, do you?
In all seriousness, Hibs finished last season as quite clearly the third best team in Scotland. By all applicable criteria, they were best of the rest behind the big-spending big two – and should be expected to build on that platform.
But the margins are fine. The potential for mayhem – VAR, crazy flashpoints, daft red cards and injuries that refuse to go away – is never far from the surface. And there are no guarantees.
A lot is still going to depend on transfer business yet to be done. Or not. Gray knows his squad is not the finished article.
Short of a defensive midfielder and a striker, he’s been working to convince Scotland defender – and free agent - Grant Hanley that Hibs are a good option at this stage of his career. But could be about to lose Lewis Miller to Blackburn.
Everyone has a plan. Until they get a punch in the face.
How they get there
It seems daft to focus on the importance of a fast start, given the distinctly indirect route taken by Hibs last season. If you’ll recall, they were still rooted to the foot of the Scottish Premiership in early December; that was nobody’s idea of a promising opening manoeuvre by the first-year head coach.
No disrespect to anyone in Scotland’s elite division but, even allowing for the potential strain of European football, Hibs do have a chance to get off to a flying start. After Dundee away, it’s Kilmarnock at home.
Falkirk away will be interesting enough, given the promotion bounce John McGlynn’s team are likely to be enjoying. But it’s winnable. As are home games against St Mirren and Dundee United - not to mention a Premier Sports Cup last-16 tie at Livingston.
With Celtic, Hearts, Aberdeen and Rangers all to be faced in a daunting five-game stretch starting in late December, in fact, you could argue that a quick start is necessary. You wouldn’t want to be hitting that run of fixtures without a decent points tally.
Key men
A lot will depend on how £1 million-plus record signing Thibault Klidje fares, once he gets settled and adapted to the Scottish game. Kieron Bowie and Martin Boyle are a first-choice strike pairing who will take some shifting – but Klidje has been signed to play games and score goals.
Gray has already done a lot of good work in persuading Rocky Bushiri and Junior Hoilett to extend their stays at Easter Road. Josh Mulligan also looks a good signing after a couple of competitive outings; today could be fun for the former Dundee man, as he returns to Dens for the first time since his summer move.
Jamie McGrath already seems to be a key component for Hibs. Who are maybe one midfielder and one forward short of a full complement. Before they lose anyone.
As was the case last season, anything Gray’s men achieve this year will be a team effort. He’s put a lot of faith in the group as a collective – and we shouldn’t expect that to change.
Familiar faces in new environments
So it’s Steven Pressley’s Dundee now, eh? And Derek McInnes is at Hearts. Stuart Kettlewell is at Killie while Davie Martindale is back. Plus there’s another new Rangers manager … and just the one unfamiliar face at Motherwell in Jens Berthel Askou.
You know what you’re going to expect from most of your rivals every year in the Scottish Premiership, even if Russell Martin’s early days at Ibrox might be a little hard to judge. It’s not as if Jimmy Thelin’s Aberdeen are going to be radically different from last season, right?
The arrival of former Hearts great Pressley at Dens Park is probably one of the more interesting appointments of the summer. Made more fascinating by a distinctly wobbly start to his time as Dark Blues gaffer.
Buckle up, then, for day one. The first chapter in a story that, as Hibs fans know, could go anywhere. Via all manner of madcap detours.