Ian Murray: Hibernian can challenge in Edinburgh derby double-header with Hearts

Ian Murray admits Hibernian are far from the finished article at present but he is confident they can hold their own in the upcoming Edinburgh derby double-header against in-form city rivals Hearts.

The sixth-place Easter Road side head to Tynecastle this Saturday knowing they will probably require a win over their third-place hosts to stay in the top six after the cinch Premiership split. And the following weekend the two teams meet again in the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden.

Hearts are favourites for both matches, but former Hibs captain Murray believes his old club are strong enough defensively to stand a chance of giving their rivals at least one bloody nose over the next fortnight.

“I don’t think this week’s game will have too much bearing on what happens the following week,” Murray told the PA news agency.

“Both teams will want to go into the second game with confidence, but playing each other at Hampden is completely different to a league derby at Tynecastle. I think this weekend is probably slightly more important for Hibs than Hearts in terms of performance and result.

“It will be a tough ask because Hearts have been really good at home and they’re in slightly better form than Hibs but I’ve seen it plenty times in a derby, when form goes out of the window.

“Hibs look really solid at the back. They’re just lacking that killer touch that allows them to score goals. But sometimes in big games you just need someone to produce that little bit of magic that can swing the game in your favour.”

While Hearts are progressing well under Robbie Neilson, Hibernian appear to be in transitional phase since manager Shaun Maloney replaced Jack Ross in December. Despite this, Murray refutes any suggestion that the upcoming