Hibernian – Gent Preview – Can Hibernian finish the job at Easter Road?
Hibernian vs Gent betting tips for this second leg all trace back to one moment in Belgium. The first leg finished goalless, but it flattered Gent: Hibernian had a penalty to win it and Owen Elding couldn’t convert. That miss is why this tie, the first-ever competitive meeting between these two clubs, arrives at Easter Road level rather than with Hibernian already most of the way through the door.
Nobody looks like the favourite going into Wednesday. Gent had spells of the ball in Ghent without ever really troubling the scoreboard, and Hibernian showed they can be awkward for a technically better side even away from home. If you followed our preview of the first leg in Ghent, you’ll know we rated Hibernian’s away discipline more highly than most gave them credit for, and that read out about right.
Domestically, Hibernian have lost back-to-back league games, beaten by Motherwell and then Rangers, but they go into this second leg unbeaten in four matches across all competitions, both European ties included. Their route to this stage was built on the same defensive discipline they showed in Ghent, including a goalless draw away to Shkendija in Macedonia, a trip we covered in our own betting tips at the time, that got them here in the first place.
Team news isn’t straightforward for the hosts, either. Jack Iredale is out with an appendix issue, Rocky Bushiri is managing an Achilles problem, and both Nicky Cadden and Jamie McGrath are carrying calf knocks that leave their involvement genuinely uncertain. Losing that much experience in one window matters against a Gent side that has already shown it can be patient and wait for its openings.
Gent know how to grind out a two-legged tie themselves. They needed both matches to see off IFK Göteborg in the previous round, closing it out after a tighter second leg in Belgium than their squad would have wanted, and that habit of doing just enough on the road is exactly what makes Wednesday tricky for Hibernian.
Hibernian – Gent Betting Tips
Betting Tip: Under 2.5 goals
Under 2.5 goals fits a tie that has already told you how these two sides set up against each other. Hibernian defend in numbers, and Gent, for all their possession in the first leg, never created the kind of clear chance that a penalty award usually implies. Add a home side happy to see out a tense night rather than chase the game, and this has the shape of a match settled by one moment rather than a flurry of goals. It’s worth comparing the latest match odds before you settle on a stake, because a low-scoring finish looks the more likely route here.
Betting Tip: Hibernian to win
Hibernian to win leans on the home advantage they didn’t get to use in Ghent. This is a side that has already proven it can live with Gent for ninety minutes, and doing it in front of their own crowd, with the away goal Gent still need nowhere to be seen, tilts things toward the hosts. It won’t be comfortable, and Gent will have their moments, but backing Hibernian to get over the line at Easter Road reads as the sharper call than sitting on the fence.
Kickoff and the bottom line
The second leg kicks off at Easter Road at 19:00 GMT on 27 August, with Hibernian needing only to finish what they started in Ghent. Gent will trust their control of the ball to tell eventually, but a side that missed a penalty to win the first leg and still walked away with a result has every reason to fancy this one is theirs to take.
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