Hibs v Dundee United: Scottish Premiership team news, referee, starting XI, how to watch, match odds

Can Hibs maintain their impressive run of results when they host Dundee United on Saturday?

Martin Boyle and Adrian Sporle in action during the last meeting between the two teams

Or will Micky Mellon's side spoil the Easter Road side's festive season? The Tannadice outfit haven't won on the road since a 2-1 win against Ross County on August 15, but have won two of their last five Premiership matches and three points in Leith would take them above Motherwell if the Fir Park side records anything other than a win at Ibrox.

Hibs, meanwhile, can again leapfrog Celtic into second place provided they defeat the Terrors, with the Hoops involved in the Scottish Cup final on Sunday.

Team news: That Hibs have not been too badly affected on the injury front dring the busy festive period is a good thing. At the time of writing the only players definitely ruled out of Saturday’s clash are Scott Allan and Jamie Murphy.

It will be touch and go with midfielder Alex Gogic and defender Sean Mackie, who are both due to be assessed after taking part in training on Friday, but apart from that Jack Ross has a full complement of players from which to choose.

Kyle Magennis and Stevie Mallan could be pushing for a start after impressive substitute appearances midweek at Alloa, while Kevin Nisbet will almost certainly return after missing the Betfred Cup win with a knock.

Possible line-up (4-4-1-1): Marciano; P McGinn, Porteous, Hanlon, Stevenson; Boyle, Hallberg, Newell, Magennis; Nisbet; Doidge. Subs from: Barnes, Doig, Gray, McGregor, Mallan, Wright, S McGinn, Gullan, Bradley.

Match details: Saturday December 19; kick-off 3.00pm, Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh

How to watch: Fans of both teams will be able to watch this game on Hibs' pay-per-view TV option – details here.

Key stat: Last time Dundee United won a match at Easter Road in regulation time (penalty shoot-outs don't count), Andy Robertson was playing left-back.

Referee: Gavin Duncan has been tasked with handling this fixture, assisted by Drew Kirkland and Stuart Stevenson. It's Duncan's first match involving Hibs since a 2-2 draw with Livingston on October 30 last year.

Match odds: Hibs 4/7 Draw 31/10 Dundee United 9/2 (odds supplied by McBookie).

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