Hibernian and Motherwell Set for Tight Scottish Premiership Opener

Sunday night's Scottish Premiership opener continues with Motherwell away to Hibernian. The two sides look closely matched, and with both teams likely to start the new campaign cautiously, a draw appears the most likely outcome.

Hibernian finished in the upper half of the table last season with 15 wins, 12 draws and 11 defeats for 57 points, a solid if unspectacular return. They were frugal in the transfer market over the summer and only brought in a few free agents. One point worth noting is that last season's leading scorer Jamie McGrath was also signed on a free transfer in the previous summer. The former Aberdeen midfielder made an excellent impact after arriving, recording 8 goals and 4 assists in 34 Scottish Premiership appearances to lead the team in goal involvements. New free signing C. Huli and others may also prove to be pleasant surprises this season. As for recent form, Hibernian advanced to the third round of the UEFA Conference League after a 4-1 home win over Maribor in their last outing, so both confidence and momentum are high.

Although Motherwell struggled in earlier friendlies and lost both matches, they have shown strong competitiveness once competitive action began. In the second round of the UEFA Conference League, Motherwell beat Torshavn home and away, scoring five goals across the two legs without conceding once, an impeccable display at both ends of the pitch. In last season's Scottish Premiership, Motherwell finished one place above Hibernian and four points better off, which underlines how little there is between the sides overall. However, Motherwell were also cautious in the transfer market during the offseason, and they even sold key midfielder Elijah Just, who contributed 7 goals and 7 assists last season, to Swansea, which has weakened the squad to some extent. On this visit to Hibernian, Motherwell cannot be considered certain winners.