Hibs vs Motherwell Prediction: New beginnings, same old story for Hibees
Life after Nick Montgomery for Hibernian begins with a Scottish Premiership clash against Motherwell at Easter Road on Wednesday night (KO, 19:45). The Englishman was put out of his misery on Tuesday morning as the club announced that he had been relieved of his managerial duties, capping a disappointing nine-month spell in charge.
Read below for my Hibs vs Motherwell prediction as I ponder how the Hibees will respond to the exit of Montgomery.
Team News
Luke Amos made his return to the Hibs side on Saturday after nearly three months out injured, but it may be too soon for him to take a place in the starting XI.
With Montgomery gone, some fringe players could be handed opportunities to impress, such as Jair Tavares, who has featured just once in the last four games.
Josh Campbell, Dylan Levitt and Adam Le Fondre are others who will be looking for recalls to the starting XI after appearing off the bench on the weekend.
Motherwell have a trio of players - Barry Maguire, Callum Slattery and Jordan Obika - still on the sidelines, but the rest of their squad looks good to go.
Harry Paton and Davor Zdravkovski came off the bench to good effect on Saturday, with both finding the net to add some gloss to the scoreline against Ross County, whom they beat 5-1 at Dingwall, and the duo will be pushing for starts in midweek.
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The hosts are 9/10 to triumph in the first game of the post-Montgomery era, giving them an implied win probability of 52.6%, while the visitors are 3/1, or a 25% chance, to pile more misery on Hibs.
The draw is available at 13/5 and it's 8/13 for both teams to score for a sixth consecutive match between the pair.
Motherwell to win @ 3/1
Beware, beware, of the new manager bounce. Hibs haven't named an official new head coach, instead leaving it to David Gray to reprise the role of caretaker manager for a fourth separate spell, but it does feel like a new voice usually gives players a certain freedom after a long time of suffering.
However, with just two games left of the season, there is little riding on Wednesday's fixture for Hibs, and I don't expect to see a huge change from a team that has won just one of their last six games and lost the last two.
Their opponents, Motherwell, are in completely contrasting form. Stuart Kettlewell's side have lost just one of their last six matches and have triumphed handsomely twice already this month, beating Livingston 4-1 at Fir Park before smashing Ross County on Saturday.
The Well have been superb away from home since the end of February, winning four out of five, which includes a 2-1 victory over Rangers at Ibrox on March 2.
The visitors can guarantee a top-eight finish with a win on Wednesday, and I think they will do just that by taking advantage of Hibs' poor form, especially at Easter Road where they have lost three of their last four.
Hibs and Motherwell have met three times already this season, with the Well winning the first 2-1 at Fir Park in August before a 2-2 draw in Edinburgh on January 2 and a 1-1 back in Motherwell on April 13.
Blair Spittal anytime goalscorer @ 16/5
Motherwell forward Thelonius Blair has been the go-to man for goals this season, netting 15 times in the Scottish Premiership so far - only Lawrence Shankland (22), James Tavernier (17) and Bojan Miovski (16) have scored more.
But fellow Well attacker Blair Spittal has also been in the goals, striking nine times in 35 league appearances - and a further four times in cup competitions - the latest two of which came in Saturday's 5-1 thrashing of Ross County.
Those goals were his first since February 28, and I think that brace will be the confidence boost he needs to end the season on a high, starting with a goal at Easter Road on Wednesday.
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