On Sunday, fans of Hearts and Hibernian will make the same journey to Hampden but the Edinburgh rivals have been on different paths so far this season.
Hearts sold out their initial allocation for the Premier Sports Cup semi-final in three days, then snapped up a second wave to take their numbers over 23,000.
That a few seats will be empty at the other end of the national stadium signals a degree of trepidation among followers of Hibs.
Still, more than 18,000 will be there to cheer on the team sitting second bottom of the Premiership, having taken a mere two points from their past eight outings.
Hearts lie third and enjoyed their third successive derby victory in early September. Hearts can also boast a 100% record in derbies played at Hampden, all coming in the Scottish Cup.
The teams have been going at it since Christmas Day 1875 but had to wait until 2006 for a first meeting in Glasgow’s Southside.
Paul Hartley scored a hat-trick in a 4-0 semi-final triumph, while Hibs had two players sent off.
Then came the 2012 final, a 5-1 demolition, with a double from Rudi Skacel and a red card for the losers.
The past two contests were closer, Hearts prevailing 2-1 each time in the semi-finals of 2020 and 2022, with yet another Hibs dismissal in the latter to go with the pain of a missed penalty in the former.
This is a first competitive match between managers that were on track to meet in the Belgian top flight this season before stepping away.
Wouter Vrancken steered Sint-Truiden to third, their best finish in 60 years, while Marink Reedijk enjoyed a remarkable ‘invincibles’ second tier title success with Beveren.
Reedijk is still waiting for his first Hibs victory, a drab draw at St Mirren on Wednesday following three defeats for the Dutchman who replaced David Gray and has set about implementing a new style at Easter Road.
While the structure is evolving, Hibs remain defensively fragile, without a league clean sheet, and have been blunt in attack.
In Reedijk’s first game, Hibs had four efforts on target, then three, then two, while the goal at St Mirren came from the only one.
In their past four domestic outings, Hearts have had 22 attempts on target and that includes a 7-1 mauling at Celtic.
Vrancken’s side have 24 league goals to Hibs’ 11, three of those coming at Easter Road when they completely bossed the first half, showing far greater energy and intensity than the hosts.
“You have to put your emotions and energy in the things you have to do on the pitch and go from there,” said Vrancken. “We did really well there and we have to do also on Sunday.
“It’s a totally different game. New manager, new style, new competition. It’s also an all-or-nothing game. So all different circumstances. The first game doesn’t matter anymore. We have to look forward to this one.”
Meanwhile, Reedijk is looking forward to a “special match” with “some surprises somewhere”, adding: “It’s not only the derby, it’s also a semi-final, and it’s one step away from a final, so that is a double way of excitement.”
Having come so close in the title race last season, some silverware would go a long way to underline Hearts’ credentials as disruptors of the established order.
The Tynecastle side haven’t lifted a trophy since their colossal party in 2012 and last got their hands on the League Cup in 1962.
Hibs have won the competition three times in that time.
Both teams have long injury lists, but the return of the experienced Martin Boyle, scorer of five derby goals, is a boost for Hibs. The 33-year-old lit up the 2021 semi-finals with a first-half hat-trick in a win over Rangers.
Boyle has three league goals, making him the club’s top scorer.
Hearts have five players on three goals or more, Claudio Braga and Calvin Miller both moving on to five in Wednesday’s thrilling draw at home to Rangers.
After dominating for long spells, Vrancken’s men did fade in that game and might have lost at the death if not for a mis-timed jump from Dujon Sterling.
Early exits from both cup competitions perhaps benefited Hearts’ surprise league challenge last time but, with Conference League group games in the mix this time, the action is coming thick and fast.
Can Hibs stay in the game long enough to test that stamina? A foolish sending off killed their momentum in the last derby after pulling a goal back and they certainly cannot afford to add to that list of Hampden red cards.
