Hibernian vs Gent Predictions
Hibernian take on Gent with everything to play for after last week's goalless first-leg in Belgium.
Gent have seen under 2.5 goals in six of their seven competitive matches this season, while Hibs have kept three successive clean sheets and should again prove difficult to break down.
Under 2.5 goals looks like the best bet, while I also have a stake on a 90-minute draw at Easter Road.
Tight Contest Expected in Edinburgh
- Hibernian kept a clean sheet in their last 3 matches
- Hibernian have seen 1 goal scored in their last 3 matches
- Hibernian drew 2 of their last 3 matches
- Gent have seen under 2.5 goals in 6 of their last 7 matches
- Gent kept a clean sheet in 5 of their last 7 matches
- Gent drew 4 of their last 7 matches
Hibernian and Gent Level in H2H Record
Hibernian and Gent meet for the second time on Thursday. Last week's first-ever encounter in Belgium finished goalless.
Hibernian Tough to Beat
Hibernian return to Easter Road after extending their unbeaten run to five matches with a goalless draw in Belgium.
The Scots could have snatched victory, but Owen Elding's first-half penalty was saved by Davy Roef.
Chances proved hard to come by, with Hibs registering only two efforts on goal, including Elding's missed penalty.
David Gray's side have produced some impressive results during their recent unbeaten sequence. Hibs secured a superb 2-1 Premiership victory at Rangers and a 2-1 home success against Shkendija in the third round of Conference League qualifying.
The Hibees backed up those victories with a goalless draw in North Macedonia and a 1-0 League Cup success against Partick Thistle before keeping another clean sheet in Ghent.
A solid unit, Hibernian have conceded only one goal in their last four fixtures.
Recent results at Easter Road offer further encouragement to the Scots' qualification hopes. Gray's men overturned a two-goal first-leg deficit with a 4-1 win against Malisheva in the second round before their 2-1 victory against Shkendija in round three.
Gent Remain Unbeaten
Gent make the trip to Scotland after a frustrating goalless first-leg at Planet Group Arena last Thursday.
The Belgians had the better of the opportunities, but still managed only nine efforts on the Hibernian goal.
Rik De Mil's side are now unbeaten in seven competitive fixtures this season, despite scoring only six goals. An average of 1.14 goals per game were scored in those fixtures.
Yet to hit top gear this season, the Belgians narrowly edged past LNZ Cherkasy in round two via a penalty shootout after a pair of 0-0 stalemates, before securing a 2-1 aggregate success against IFK Gothenburg.
Gent have been particularly difficult to break down this season, conceding only two goals in seven competitive fixtures. Six of those seven matches finished with under 2.5 goals, including three goalless draws.
Low-scoring outcomes have been frequent on their European travels. Six of their seven previous continental contests since 2024 finished with under 2.5 goals.
Hibernian vs Gent Team News
Hibernian: (4-3-3) Raphael Sallinger; Felix Passlack, Warren O'Hora, Jason Kerr, Adam Mayor; Josh Mulligan, Miguel Chaiwa, Jordan Obita; Owen Elding, Nathan Lowe, Josh Campbell
Hibernian boss Gray has three confirmed absentees this week. Rocky Bushiri is sidelined with an Achilles injury while Nicky Cadden and Jamie McGrath are also expected to miss out.
Experienced forward Martin Boyle is pushing for a return to the starting XI.
Gray praised his side's disciplined first-leg display in Belgium and was particularly pleased with their response after missing an early penalty.
“A brilliant away performance at this stage. The players executed the game plan well, managed it well, third clean sheet in a row as well.
“It’s a really good start to the tie, we’ve kept it alive, and it’s all to play for in the second leg.
“One thing we can’t do is affect things that happen in the past. These things happen; we’ve missed the penalty. What I like is the reaction from that, real control in the game.
“We didn’t carry enough threat, but the players showed real courage, and we were worth the clean sheet. Massive performance and massive result, away from home in Europe against a very good side.”
Gent: (3-5-2) Davy Roef; Mouhamed Ngom, Christian Burgess, Siebe Van der Heyden; Matties Volckaert, Mathias Delorge, Tibe De Vlieger, Laszlo Benes, Tiago Araujo; Josue Vergara, Momodou Sonko
Gent are unable to call on Matisse Samoise, while Pieter Gerkens, Atsuki Ito, Tom Vandenberghe and Hugo Gambor are not eligible for the tie.
Head coach De Mil could retain much of the team that started the first leg, although Kyrell Wilson and Ibrahima Cisse are in contention to earn first-team calls.