Ross County v Hibs preview: Scottish Premiership team news, referee, starting XI, how to watch, match odds

Hibs travel to Dingwall on Saturday looking for a first away win against Ross County since 2017.

Paul Hanlon of Hibs holds off Ross County's Harry Paton during the last encounter between the two teams

The Staggies are unbeaten against the Easter Road outfit so far this season, holding them to a goalless draw in October and recording a 2-0 win in Edinburgh in December.

Hibs will be looking to turn around their form after two straight defeats followed a four-game winning run.

Victory for Jack Ross’ side would take Hibs six points clear of Aberdeen, who aren’t in action this weekend.

The Staggies have struggled for home league wins but they have recorded a 1-0 win against Celtic and a 4-1 drubbing of Aberdeen.

Their last match was a 3-2 home win against Kilmarnock.

Team news: Jack Ross has virtually a full squad to choose from, with Sean Mackie the only player ruled out with a thigh injury. Kyle Magennis could be included after missing the last three outings while there were no injury concerns from last week’s loss in Perth. The Hibs head coach could shake up his starting XI with several players pushing for a starting role.

Possible line-up (3-4-1-2): Marciano; P McGinn, Porteous, Hanlon; Cadden, Irvine, Newell, Doig; Murphy, Doidge, Boyle. Subs from: Macey, Gray, Stevenson, McGregor, Magennis, Hallberg, Wright, Allan, Gogic, Nisbet, Bradley.

Match details: Saturday March 13; kick-off 3.00pm, Victoria Park, Dingwall

How to watch: County are offering a pay-per-view option on their in-house TV channel – details here.

Key stat: Hibs have lost just two away games in 2021 – to Rangers and St Johnstone – and they’ve only lost three on the spin once, in a run that included a 2-0 home defeat by the Staggies in December.

Referee: John Beaton takes charge of this encounter, backed up by Graham Chambers and Stuart Hodge, with Grant Irvine named fourth official.

Beaton has reffed 17 Scottish Premiership matches this season, booking 60 players, sending off four, and awarding eight penalties. He was the man in the middle for Hibs’ early-season wins against Kilmarnock and Livingston, while his two matches involving County have ended in defeats for the Dingwall outfit.

Match odds: Ross County 17/4 Draw 14/5 Hibs 4/6 (odds supplied by McBookie).

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers. If you haven't already, please consider supporting our sports coverage with a digital sports subscription.