Hibs v St Johnstone: TV channel; kick-off time; team news; referee; form guide; odds

Hibs take on St Johnstone on Friday night in the first domestic match in Scottish football to be played with a video assistant referee. Here is all you need to know:

Match details

Who: Hibernian v St Johnstone. What: cinch Scottish Premiership. Where: Easter Road, Edinburgh. When: Friday, October 20. Kick-off 7.30pm. Referee: Kevin Clancy. VAR: Willie Collum.

TV and ticket info

Hibernian and St Johnstone meet at Easter Road on Friday night. Picture: Ross Parker / SNS

Tickets are sold out. The £10 Friday night football ticket offer means Hibs could be playing in front of their biggest home crowd at Easter Road for 30 years. The match is also available to watch live on Hibs TV for a pay-per-view fee of £10. It is not live on any other channel.

Team news

Paul Hanlon is a slight doubt for Hibs after picking up a knock during training but is expected to be OK. Ukrainian striker Mykola Kukharevych played against Celtic on Saturday without being fully fit. Momodou Bojang remains sidelined with a groin problem along with Lewis Miller, who is nursing a hamstring strain, while Kevin Nisbet is unlikely to feature until after the World Cup. Aiden McGeady remains sidelined, while Jake Doyle-Hayes is a doubt. Marijan Cabraja is at risk of suspension if he picks up a yellow card. Saints are without long-term absentees Chris Kane and Callum Booth, while midfielders Cameron MacPherson and Murray Davidson are also out due to injury. Graham Carey is back in training but this game will come too soon. Former Hibs player Melker Hallberg is at risk of suspension if he picks up a booking.

Form guide

Hibs are aiming to get back on track after a four-match winning run was derailed by subsequent defeats away to Dundee United and Celtic. Hibs are unbeaten at home since February 5 and are third in the table, albeit having played a game more than many of the teams underneath. Saints have lost their last three games, but only by the odd goal against Livingston, Celtic and Kilmarnock. Callum Davidson’s team have three wins from 11 league games and are currently ninth.

Head-to-head

Josh Campbell scored an injury-time winner for Hibs in Perth when the teams met on the opening day of the season. Indeed, Hibs have a very good recent record over Saints, winning four and drawing one of their last five meetings this season and last. It has been was a complete turnaround on what happened in 2020/21, when Saints dominated the fixture with four wins out of six matches, including the Scottish Cup final and League Cup semi-final.

Bookies’ odds

Hibernian 8/13; Draw14/5; St Johnstone 19/4, with McBookie.

Another thing

Willie Collum is the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) for the technology’s first match in the cinch Premiership. The experienced official will be aided by Graeme Stewart in the new system’s nerve centre at Clydesdale House in Glasgow’s Merchant City quarter. The 43-year-old will be on hand to study any incidents requiring a second pair of eyes for Kevin Clancy, the on-field referee. VAR will be operated in line with the FIFA Laws of the Game using Hawk-Eye technology. There are four main areas that will come under VAR’s jurisdiction: straight red cards, penalty-area incidents, goals, and cases of mistaken identity.