The Boxing Day Edinburgh derby promises to be a tight encounter, with the odds on Hibs coming away with something from the fixture looking very tempting indeed.

Hearts, after all, have won only 3 of their last 12 matches across all competitions, and while the last 2 of these have been at Tynecastle, Neil Critchley’s side were fortunate to overcome St Johnstone 2-1 on Sunday given they generated only 0.74xG – worse than their guests.

Hibs, meanwhile, are ahead of their rivals thanks to a surprise 3-1 win in Aberdeen at the weekend that confirmed their recent good form. David Gray’s side have won 3 of their last 4 matches, with that victory at Pittodrie one that shall only affirm a sense of confidence in the squad. Indeed, their only defeat in the last 5 has come against runaway leaders Celtic.

Recent history suggests the teams will be difficult to differentiate in this game, too. Of the last 6 meetings between these familiar foes, 5 have ended all squad, including a 1-1 East Road draw on October 27. Hibs have undoubtedly improved since that clash with Hearts but remain as inconsistent as ever, making the guests good value to take something here.

Dundee are seeking a fourth home victory in succession when they play host to a Ross County side that is the league’s worst on the road. Tony Docherty’s men look good value to get it.

The Dark Blues have lost their last couple of matches but did manage to hang tough against Rangers last Saturday as they narrowly lost 1-0 at Ibrox. They deployed a young side in Glasgow – six of the starting XI were 22 or younger – and that should mean they can bounce back quickly for a midweek encounter.

Ross County might have won the previous meeting between these sides this season 2-0, but that was in Dingwall, where they are considerably stronger than on the road. The Highlanders have scored only 2 goals in their 8 away matches while confidence will be low after 4 successive defeats. This run includes a 3-1 loss away to Hibs, who were bottom at the time while they were beaten 2-1 at home by 10-man St Mirren at the weekend.

With injury problems mounting for the Staggies, this Boxing Day trip to the City of Discovery promises to be one fraught with difficulty.

St Johnstone are bottom of the table after losing 2-1 to Hearts on Sunday, but it’s worth backing the Perth outfit to at least find the net against Dundee United when they host them at McDiarmid Park on Thursday.

Simo Valakari took charge of his first Saints match at the beginning of October and has made them an altogether more attractive side to watch. Indeed, they have scored in all but 2 of the 11 matches he has overseen – with both of those blanks coming against a Rangers side that has been impressive defensively in recent weeks.

Dundee United have been hard to beat this season but despite shutting out Celtic on Sunday in a scoreless draw at Tannadice, Jim Goodwin’s side have struggled to keep clean sheets in recent weeks. They have 3 in their last 10 matches, which is an unspectacular record. Away from home in the league, they have conceded in each of their last 4.

With big matches against Aberdeen and Dundee looming in the next 7 days, the visitors will likely rotate for this one, increasing the difficulty for them to shut out their hosts.