Hearts to earn Edinburgh bragging rights

The Edinburgh derby is the clear pick of the second round of Scottish Premier League matches and Heart of Midlothian looks capable of beating Hibernian in enemy territory.

Hearts thumped 5-1 Hibs in last season`s Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park and the rematch seems to have come around too quickly for anything other than the same result.

Hibernian has beaten only East Fife in its six competitive and non-competitive matches since being thrashed by its deadly rival at the end of the last campaign, including a disappointing 0-3 loss to Dundee United at Tannadice on the opening weekend of the Scottish Premier League season.

Heart of Midlothian, on the other hand, warmed up for its Scottish Premier League curtain raiser with a 3-0 friendly away win over Raith and took maximum points from its home championship game versus St Johnstone at Tynecastle.

John Sutton, brother of former England striker Chris, put the Jam Tarts in front from the penalty spot in the 30th minutes and David Templeton put the match to bed after Saints were reduced to 10 men late in the first half.

Hearts were not anything more than workmanlike in defeating St Johnstone 2-0 but a solid performance may be more than sufficient to get the better of Hibs, even at Easter Road.

The recent head-to-head record between Edinburgh`s big clubs points to a Jam Tarts triumph. They have won eight of their last nine games against Hibs. Also, they are unbeaten in 11 derbies and have only lost once on their last 10 trips to Easter Road. If history is any guide, Hearts will not lose.

Bookmakers have installed Heart of Midlothian as the derby favourite at around 5-4, with Hibernian available at around 5-2 and the draw in the 9-4 region. Back John McGlynn`s dream start as Hearts boss to continue with three points.

South of the border, the English Capital One Cup kicks off and the best bet is Brentford to beat Walsall in the battle of a couple of League One clubs at the Banks`s Stadium.

The Bees defeated the Saddlers in the corresponding English League One match last season and, on paper, the gap between the two small fish in big ponds is going to widen this term.

Brentford manager Uwe Rosler has been supported financially to have a crack at lifting the Bees from last season`s ninth place to a play-off berth or even better. Walsall chief Dean Smith has not received the same kind of boardroom backing.

Bookmakers are correct to make the Saddlers the favourites to be relegated from English League One. The Black Country club only survived by the skin of its teeth last term and its survival relied upon the end-of-season performances of several loan signings, most of whom have not stuck around.

Walsall`s pre-season results have been poor, including a 1-2 loss to English League Two side Burton. Brentford`s warm-up performances have been much better, with their last friendly producing a 4-1 away victory over League Two`s Wycombe.

There is not very much in the match betting markets - the Saddlers are around 15-8, the Bees are around 13-8 and the draw is around 9-4 - but one could argue that the visitors should be warm favourites against a weak home outfit.

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10/08/2012     © Frixo 2024