Saints performed reasonably well last week after finally resorting to a 4-4-2 formation, but I have a horrible hunch manager Gus MacPherson will resort to a 4-5-1 tomorrow. He'll be wanting to make sure we don't lose many goals, which is fine, but this supposedly formation shipped five against Celtic and four against Aberdeen! It doesn't bode well. If he does decide to resort defensive mode, chances are Billy Mehmet will be up front on his own after his good performance last week against Gretna.
The change to a five man midfield will probably mean at least one of Mark Corcoran and Alex Burke dropping out, with Stephen O'Donnell probably returning to the starting line up. It would be nice to see young Stephen McGinn given a chance as he seems to do well in the reserves. Andy Millen is likely to continue at the back, which could be a worry as Hibs have some rather pacey players and could tear us apart.
Of course, they did that last time we went to Easter Road, hammering five past a virus-ridden Saints squad. This time it's Hibs who seem to be struggling with the injuries, but as we always struggle when we're up against teams like this, don't get too excited. They still have plenty of players who can cause us problems - Clayton Donaldson springs to mind - while the giant Rob Jones should cause us even more problems than usual at set pieces.
Last week was a nice boost, but I can't see it lasting for long. Hibs will win comfortably, and I can see another hammering coming up.