Hearts ready to react in Capital showdown
Jambos were humiliated at Ibrox as Hibees won
Hearts are already planning their response to Saturday's 5-0 defeat against Rangers with Hibs in their sights on Wednesday night. The season's third Edinburgh derby takes place under floodlights at Tynecastle Park and head coach Steven Naismith is looking for a determined reaction from his side after the weekend.
The substandard display and capitulation at Ibrox ended Hearts' 12-match unbeaten run.
Naismith wants to see a positive riposte against Hibs in front of a passionate home support, urging his players to show the kind of pace and power they encountered in Glasgow.
"Ideally, we will start Wednesday's game like Rangers started on Saturday," he told the Edinburgh News.
"The crowd were up, lively and noisy, and the players started fast. That's ideally what we will start like on Wednesday.
"I'd imagine our performance will be better – it needs to be better. All the success we have had this season has come from us being good in possession and solid defensively out of possession. That's where we let ourselves down on Saturday but I'm pretty confident we will be back at it on Wednesday."
The previous two Edinburgh derbies this season have produced a draw and a Hearts victory and Naismith is confident Hibs will be a very different proposition to Rangers.
"We expect it to be more like the games we have come up against in the 12-game [unbeaten] run. Our preparation will go into that. Lessons to be learnt from Saturday are that giving up good chances to quality players is going to cost you, and that's what happened.
"We will have time to reflect and analyse Saturday, but Wednesday is a totally different game."