Cammy Devlin says Hearts can't wait to face Hibs as they look to kick off 2023 with a bang.
Robbie Neilson's men head into the Edinburgh derby showdown flying with confidence after a three game run without defeat since the World Cup shutdown. They've defeated Kilmarnock and picked up a point at Dundee United before coming out on top in a five-goal thriller with St Johnstone last time out to go three points clear of Aberdeen in third spot, having played a game less than the Dons.
The Jambos secured best of the rest behind Celtic and Rangers last term and went on a Europa Conference League group stage adventure. That's the target once again with Devlin admitting their current placing shows the 'depth and character' within the squad after a massive injury list in the first part of the season. Things have not got much better with skipper and No1 Craig Gordon out long-term with a leg break while Craig Halkett and Stephen Kingsley also suffered further knocks.
READ MORE: Hearts vs Hibs on TV: Channel, kick-off time and live stream details for Edinburgh derby
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Hibs will be looking to bounce back from a hammering off Celtic on their own patch as they bid to kick-start their own season with Devlin buzzing to get back to a 'rocking' Tynecastle. He knows form goes out the window for this one as he targets a big three points.
Speaking to Hearts TV, he said: “I thought we made it hard for ourselves against St. Johnstone to be honest. We showed in periods of the game what a great team we’re capable of being. McDiarmid is a tough place to go, so to win and show how deep we can dig at times to get a result was good.
“Yeah, we’re all really looking forward to the derby. It’s massive to go into the new year in third considering all the injuries we’ve had. To be in that spot is so good for us and just shows the depth and the character and the tight-knit squad that we have here."
He continued: “The Edinburgh derby speaks for itself, you don’t need to explain it. We’re excited, and I’m sure the fans will be too.
"It’s a good one to start the new year and I just can’t wait to get back to Tynecastle and see the place rocking.
“It’s a bit of a cliché, but the thing about derbies is that form goes out the window. It’s eleven players versus eleven players. Anything can happen but we’ll be focusing on our game, looking at them and seeing if there’s anyways we can exploit them. We can’t wait.”
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