HIBS boss Tony Mowbray today insisted all the pressure was on Hearts in tomorrow's Euro derby, the fifth and final clash of the Edinburgh rivals this season.

While the Tynecastle outfit will arrive at Easter Road determined to extend their lead over Rangers - at least for 24 hours - in the race for a Champions League place, Mowbray believes his players need only worry about the game in hand.

Hearts, who hold a five-point advantage over Rangers, who travel to Celtic Park on Sunday, will also, Mowbray claimed, be well aware that Hibs triumphed in their last home derby, one which also ended the Gorgie side's unbeaten start to the season.

While Hearts eye the Champions League, Hibs' faint hopes of clinching a place in next season's UEFA Cup lie outwith their control, Mowbray's team needing a combination of circumstances to land them that prize.

Mowbray said: "I think the pressure is on Hearts. Their expectations are high, but they will regard coming to Easter Road as a potential pitfall. It's a big, big game for them, an Edinburgh derby away from home and they'll know they face a tough match.

"We have been very competitive against everyone at Easter Road and even the games we have lost at home we've invariably been the dominant force. So there is no reason why we should not go into this game in a very positive frame of mind."

And Mowbray dismissed any suggestion that complacency could be a danger for Hearts with their 4-0 Tennent's Scottish Cup semi-final triumph over Hibs still very much fresh in the mind.

He said: "Sometimes scorelines can be deceptive. If we had won 4-0 those few weeks ago I wouldn't be sitting here today thinking tomorrow is going to be easy, every game is tough and presents its own challenge.

"I'm sure Hearts will be very focused on trying to get a positive result, just as we will be."

While Hearts will obviously be looking for Celtic to "do them a favour" in Sunday's Old Firm clash, Mowbray believes they also have to deal with the pressure of winning their own remaining matches as they try to hold Rangers at bay.

In stark contrast, he insisted, there was no such burden on his players.

He said: "There's no pressure on us to do anything other than win a football match, we are not chasing the Champions League or anything else.

"We could win every game between now and the end of the season and still not qualify for Europe.

"Our aim is to finish as high up the table as possible, Hearts' is to keep their noses in front of Rangers who are right on their tail."

While it remains to be seen whether Mowbray will give leg-break victim Scott Brown a seat on the bench following his surprise return in a reserve match earlier this week, the Hibs boss today revealed he'll make late decisions on both Kevin Thomson and Oumar Konde.

Thomson took a kick on a calf as Hibs held champions Celtic to a draw last Sunday, the Scotland Under-21 star forced to limp off to allow Dean Shiels to make his first appearance in almost five months while Konde was ill earlier in the week and didn't train.

Mowbray said: "We'll wait and see who is available. Our injury problems have been well documented but we are not going to dwell on them, we'll go into tomorrow's match determined to give it our best shot and hopefully get the result we all want."

Taken from the Scotsman