Preview: Hibernian vs. Livingston - prediction, team news, lineups

Hibernian have the potential to climb into the top four with a victory on Saturday, depending on other results, while the visitors shall be attempting to get back to winning ways after their midweek defeat.

Livingston are only six points above the relegation zone right now, placing some extra pressure on their performances, while the Hibees have kept consecutive clean sheets.

Match preview

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Hibernian were held to a goalless draw during their most recent outing against Motherwell, despite the fact that the Steelmen ended up going down to 10 men in the second half.

The result means that the Hibees are still searching for their first victory in the league for 2022 after losing against Celtic to start the year, but it is only the Hoops that they have been beaten by in their previous eight matches.

Celtic have got two victories over Hibernian in that period, both in the league and the Scottish League Cup final, but their consistent performances aside from that have helped them to remain in the top half of the table.

Shaun Maloney guided his men to victory in the Scottish Cup last weekend, when a Kevin Nisbet goal in extra time proved to be enough against Cove Rangers in a 1--0 win.

While they could leapfrog Motherwell with three points on Saturday, they could also end up slipping into the bottom half of the division, with both Dundee United and Aberdeen chasing their tails.

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Livingston are also in need of three points in order to secure their league position, as they currently sit just six points above the relegation zone, placing pressure on each game.

A defeat would allow Dundee the opportunity to close the gap between them, which the Lions will be keen to avoid, as a victory could extend their gap should the Dark Blues fail to pick up three points themselves.

Goals have been hard to come by for the squad this season, scoring just 18 times throughout the campaign so far, which is the second lowest in the entire SPL.

That was a problem for them in midweek when they were defeated by Rangers, because while they only conceded once, David Martindale's team were not able to find the back of the net themselves.

However, defending has been much better for Livingston as of late, keeping clean sheets in their first two games of 2022, which saw them record back-to-back wins, and they will be keen to return to that form this Saturday.

Team News

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Despite being back in training Kyle Magennis was still not able to feature in the most recent outing, but if he is sit enough then the club could have him as an option this weekend.

Demetri Mitchell was able to make his debut for the club in midweek though after his transfer from Blackpool, and he could be pushed to start from the first whistle this time around.

Livingston have confirmed the signing of Sebastian Soto on loan from Norwich City recently, and he could be in line to make his debut for the Lions against Hibernian.

Bruce Anderson will be set to lead the line for Martindale once again, with the striker having proven to be a handful for opposition teams throughout the season.

Hibernian possible starting lineup:
Macey; MgGinn, Bushiri, Stevenson; Doig, Newell, Doyle-Hayes, Cadden; Mitchell, Nisbet, Mueller

Livingston possible starting lineup:
Stryjek; Longridge, Obileye, Fitzwater, Devlin; Pittman, Holt, Omeonga; Shinnie, Anderson, Bailey

We say: Hibernian 2-1 Livingston

Both teams are in fairly strong form heading into this match, and that is something that will provide a lot of confidence to each squad, which is something that should lead to a close game.

However, with Livingston struggling for goals at the moment and Hibernian boasting some brilliant attacking talent, it should be the hosts that just edge things overall.

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