Just one place and two points separate Hibernian and Dundee United heading into Saturday's Scottish Premiership clash between the two sides at Easter Road.
The visitors go into the match having won just one of their last six outings, while Hibs are looking to bounce back from defeat and would leapfrog their opponents in the table with a victory.
Match preview
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Hibernian ended the previous round of matches poorly before the international break kicked in, suffering a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Aberdeen, in what was a shock result.
The Hibees took the lead in the first half courtesy of a Calvin Ramsay own goal, but they were not able to hang on to that, with a red card to Ryan Porteous only making matters worse.
That result followed a trio of goalless draws in the league, which Shaun Maloney will be wanting to improve upon in the forthcoming matches to maintain a place in the top half.
Hibernian did enjoy a victory during that period in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals, where they booked their place in the last four by defeating Motherwell.
The squad also have plenty to fight for at the weekend as a victory would see them leapfrog their opponents in the table, taking them into fourth place.
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That is something that Dundee United will be well aware of, and will be actively looking to avoid, as a win of their own would grow a stronger cushion for them.
However, the Terrors are out of form at the moment, winning just one of their previous six outings, although they have also only lost once in the league during that period.
Livingston were the team to inflict that defeat, but Dundee United bounced back with a 2-2 draw against third-placed Hearts before going into the international break off the back of a 2-1 win over St Mirren.
Tam Courts will now want to see more from his squad as they prepare to return from the recent time off Scottish Premiership action, but away from home they have struggled.
Dundee United have won just three matches on the road this season in their 16 fixtures, which they will need to improve upon with the pressure from other teams below them.
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Team News
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Porteous was sent off in Hibernian's most recent outing, which is something that will lead to at least one change from their last starting XI.
Harry Clarke was back in training recently as he prepares to return from injury, which could provide a boost to Maloney's options, but it is unclear if he is ready for this weekend.
Paul McGinn, Demetri Mitchell, Kyle Magennis and Kevin Nisbet are all long-term issues for the hosts, and will not feature on Saturday, but Paul Hanlon should be back for the first time since January.
After scoring a later winner in their most recent outing Marc McNulty will be hoping to retain his position up front for Dundee United, likely being accompanied by Tony Watt, who recently returned from injury.
Miller Thomson started his first game for the club during that fixture against St Mirren, and after another impressive performance he could also retain his place.
Hibernian possible starting lineup:
Dabrowski; Cadden, Bushiri, Hanlon, Doig; Stevenson, Newell, Campbell; Wright, Jasper, Melkersen
Dundee United possible starting lineup:
Siegrist; Smith, Edwards, Mulgrew, McMann; Niskanen, Butcher, Levitt, Thomson; Watt, McNulty
We say: Hibernian 2-1 Dundee United
There is little to separate these two teams in the league right now, and that is something that should lead to a close encounter this weekend.
Hibernian could overtake their opponents with a win, and we believe that their slightly stronger recent form will give them the edge in this one.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Hibernian win with a probability of 47.4%. A draw had a probability of 27.4% and a win for Dundee United had a probability of 25.16%.
The most likely scoreline for a Hibernian win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.81%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.51%) and 2-1 (8.77%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.74%), while for a Dundee United win it was 0-1 (9.26%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 12.7% likelihood.
