Hibs must answer key consistency question at Pittodrie

That record predates the Dutchman's involvement at Easter Road. As David Gray's successor, he inherited a team that had lost back-to-back home league matches, been defeated by St Johnstone, and dropped points to Aberdeen.

However, Reedijk didn't get off to the start he would have liked. Three defeats on the bounce to Dundee United, Falkirk and Celtic saw Hibs drop to bottom of the table, with a point in Paisley seeing them lifted, albeit temporarily, into 11th.

And that poor form is understandable. Reedijk arrived at a difficult moment for the Leith club, as an injury-depleted squad seemed to lack identity, courage and inspiration on the pitch.

Turning that around overnight was an impossible task. Without a proper pre-season (replaced by a ‘pre-season on steroids’ in Spain), Reedijk's task has been to effect change on the go, making the most of a testing situation.

Under his stewardship, incremental improvement has been seen, as elements of the style and tactics he hopes to implement have become evident on the park.

Reedijk's men were victorious at Hampden on Sunday. (Image: Stuart Wallace / Shutterstock)

At Hampden, Hibs were finally able to translate that not only into a 90-minute performance, but also a result. A statement result, at that.

Now they face a task equally important to booking their place in the cup final, and downing their city rivals in the process. They must prove that they can be consistent; that it wasn't a one-off performance.

The old cliche claims that the form book goes out of the window in a derby. That rang true in a way on Sunday, as 12th-placed Hibs defeated 3rd-placed Hearts.

Emotionally-charged occasions can elicit improved performances. When city bragging rights and a place in a cup final are on the line, the best team isn't always the one which wins.

Hibs' performance on Sunday, though, wasn't the product of luck. Perhaps it was influenced by fortune, but togetherness and bravery played a heavy role in Hibs coming out on top.

Can they summon that same unity, spirit and intensity on a cold Pittodrie evening, though?

Consistency is something which Hibs have struggled for over the past year. They have secured results on big stages, but haven't been able to turn victorious sparks into winning runs.

That's a piece of recent history which Reedijk, who spoke at the weekend about wanting to affect change in the future, rather than dwell on the past, will be able to alter.

The best way to start that? Turn Hibs' cup semi-final win into three points in the north-east, and build momentum from there. That, though, will be easier said than done.

Aberdeen were edged out by Rangers in their own Premier Sports Cup semi-final. (Image: Alan Rennie / Shutterstock)

Despite their elimination from the Premier Sports Cup on Saturday evening, Aberdeen frustrated Rangers at Hampden, and squandered chances that could have seen them end up as Hibs' opponents in the showpiece final.

Rangers dominated the ball, produced by far the most shots, and still had to wait until the 83rd minute to make their breakthrough thanks to a well-worked move, which Ryan Naderi tapped home.

Aberdeen's stubborn, compact defending held them largely at bay and, although Rangers' poor finishing at times could be blamed for their inability to finish the job sooner, that would do a disservice to Aberdeen's work at the back.

Knowing that Rangers would want to dominate the ball, Stephen Robinson's men committed bodies to their backline, defending with five and, at times, six players keep Rangers at arm's length.

Aberdeen's tight defensive unit held Rangers off. (Image: Wyscout)

That forced Rangers to rely on set pieces and crosses, with Aberdeen defending their box well. It wasn't dissimilar to Hibs' late defending on Sunday, as Hearts churned delivery after delivery into their box.

Following a 1-1 draw with St Mirren, Reedijk discussed the difficulty of breaking down such a defensive unit.

"They played 5-4-1 and I think they were in a low block a lot of the time. It's always difficult to play against and you have to find your moments," he said at the time.

"I think we had opportunities to create moments and we had some chances to score. It's always difficult against a five-man defence in a 5-4-1."

It's likely that, given Reedijk's preference for a possession-based approach, Aberdeen may again look to frustrate their visitors by keeping things tight at the back.

The Dons are happy surrendering the lion's share of possession to an opposition side. On average, they maintain 46.9% possession across the 90 minutes, clocking in as the eighth-ranked side in the division in that metric.

Hibs will most likely be given good spells on the ball. They will, however, have to make those spells count, and be ruthless with chances that arise.

Therein lies a slight concern: Hibs have struggled to be clinical in front of goal. Even against Hearts, key chances were squandered, although Martin Boyle and Jamie McGrath put away the opportunities that mattered.

At Pittodrie, they can't afford to be sloppy in front of goal. Clear-cut chances won't be handed out freely, in a match which likely won't be as open as Sunday afternoon's encounter.

Similarly, at the other end of the pitch, they will need to be wary. Had Aberdeen been more ruthless themselves, they might have walked out of the national stadium in more positive spirits given their work in transition.

With Rangers committed to waves of attacks, space opened up behind the lines for the Dons to exploit.

An example of Aberdeen's counter-attacking against Rangers. (Image: Wyscout)

Hibs' preference for something akin to a 3-1-6 formation in possession of the ball will allow room for Aberdeen to exploit, particularly during extended attacking spells.

Reedijk's men will need to be alert, then. Encouragingly, Sunday's evidence seems to show defensive improvement, and better awareness of how to react relationally to situations and movements on the pitch.

Adam Mayor has adjusted well to a 'hybrid' role of left-back and left centre-half, depending on whether Hibs have the ball or not. Similarly, Miguel Chaiwa and Joe Newell have good understanding of when to push up, and when to shield their backline.

Against a wily centre-forward like Kevin Nisbet, Hibs can't afford to make the silly errors they have sometimes committed this campaign. Given an inch, Nisbet will take a goal, as he proved at Easter Road with John Potter in the dugout.

The ex-Hibs hitman appeared to have an off-day in front of goal at Hampden, but his former employers can't rely on similar struggles this weekend. He's developed something of a habit of scoring against the Easter Road side; a trend which Reedijk will want to buck.

It might not have the prestige of a shot at silverware on the line, but this encounter should be seen as no less important than Sunday's clash.

The trip to Aberdeen is about more than three points, although they are still crucial. It's also about momentum, and about demonstrating progression.

That Hibs have now proven they can turn up for the big occasions is important. League games, though, are their bread and butter, and have been their undoing so far in this campaign.

A win at Pittodrie could well turn a statement result into exactly the run of form they need.