Hibernian host Motherwell at Easter Road on Sunday 2nd August, with kick-off at 4.30pm, as the new Premiership season gets under way.
There was next to nothing between these two last season — Motherwell finished fourth on 61 points, Hibernian fifth on 57 — and their four meetings produced a win apiece and two draws, most of them tight and low on goals. Our football tips desk has two Premium Tips for the opener below, followed by our full market-by-market predictions and a score prediction.
Premium Tips
Two calls we like for the Premiership opener, picked out by our tipster Anthony Eadson and backed with the numbers. Our full market-by-market predictions table sits further down the page.
| Premium Tip | Odds | Why we’re backing it |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2.5 Goals | 1/1 (bet365) | Four of the last five meetings between these two finished with fewer than three goals, and there is a reason for that: Motherwell had the tightest defence in the division last term, shipping just 36, and these games tend to be cagey. At evens, Under 2.5 looks a shade too big. |
| Lukas Fadinger to score | 7/1 (bet365) | 7/1 looks way too big a price for Lukas Fadinger to score for Motherwell. The key angle here is that Fadinger is on penalty duty. He has scored in both of his last two Conference League matches over the last few weeks and 7/1 looks a price to attack here. |
18+ only. Please gamble responsibly. GambleAware — gambleaware.org · Odds correct at time of publishing.
How Hibernian go into the game
Hibernian finished fifth last season, one place and four points behind today’s visitors, and they will fancy home advantage in front of their own crowd. They scored 58 and carved out 56 big chances across the campaign, so there is enough about them going forward. Jamie McGrath and Martin Boyle shared top billing with eight league goals apiece and both remain at the club, though the forward line has been reshaped over the summer. This is a first competitive outing, and opening-day sharpness is never a given, so we would not want to be reading too much into pre-season.
How Motherwell go into the game
Motherwell were arguably the surprise package last season, finishing fourth on 61 points with the division’s tightest defence — just 36 conceded — and 62 big chances created, more than Hibernian managed. Tawanda Maswanhise was the standout, his 17 goals doing plenty of the heavy lifting, and he is still leading the line. Just as encouraging from their point of view, they won the corresponding fixture at Easter Road last season, edging it 1-0 in May, so they will travel through with no fear.
Hibernian vs Motherwell head-to-head
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16/05/26 | Hibernian | 0-1 | Motherwell |
| 21/03/26 | Motherwell | 0-0 | Hibernian |
| 10/01/26 | Hibernian | 1-1 | Motherwell |
| 25/11/25 | Motherwell | 2-0 | Hibernian |
| 11/01/25 | Hibernian | 3-1 | Motherwell |
Honours are even in the wider picture — three wins each and four draws across the last 10 — but Motherwell shade the recent run, winning two of the last five and losing only once. Just as tellingly for our reading of this one, four of those five games finished under 2.5 goals, with only the 3-1 in January 2025 breaking the low-scoring pattern.
Hibernian vs Motherwell predictions & betting tips
| Our Prediction | Odds & Bookmaker | Confidence | Why We’re Backing It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 2.5 Goals | 1/1 (bet365) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Four of the last five meetings finished with fewer than three goals. |
| Both Teams to Score – Yes | 11/10 (bet365) | ⭐⭐⭐ | Both teams have scored in two of the last three meetings at Easter Road. |
| Draw | 12/5 (bet365) | ⭐⭐⭐ | Two of the last five were level and little separates the sides. |
| Lukas Fadinger anytime | 7/1 (bet365) | ⭐⭐⭐ | Seventeen goals last season and still Motherwell’s main threat. |
| Correct Score – 1-1 | 11/2 (bet365) | ⭐⭐ | The shortest price on the correct-score book. |
Hibernian vs Motherwell score prediction
This has all the makings of another tight, low-scoring afternoon. Hibernian have home advantage and are marginal favourites at 6/5, but Motherwell were the sharper side on the underlying numbers last season and won at Easter Road back in May. We can see little between them again, and the value looks to be in the goals staying scarce rather than in either win. Score prediction: Hibernian 1-1 Motherwell.