Hibernian's latest European adventure will begin when they travel to the Fadil Vokrri Stadium in Kosovo to take on KF Malisheva in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League second qualifying round tie on Thursday.
David Gray's side are back in Europe for the second season running and they will be determined to go one better than last term when they made it to the play-off round of Conference League qualifying only to be edged out after extra time by Polish giants Legia Warsaw.
Hibs have not made it through to the main draw of a major European competition since 2005 but they will be hopeful of getting their latest quest off to a positive start against Malisheva.
The Kosovans are playing in Europe for just the third time, but they are fresh from winning their first continental tie after seeing off Albanian outfit KF Vllaznia in the first qualifying round.
KF Malisheva v Hibernian Tips Summary
Best Bet - Half time/Full time: Draw/Hibernian @ 10/3
Alternative Bet - Both teams to score @ 10/11
Bet Builder - Hibernian to win, Over 2 goals & KF Malisheva to win most corners @ 11/2
KF Malisheva v Hibernian Prediction
Best Bet: Half time/Full time - Draw/Hibernian @ 10/3
This will be Hibs' first competitive match of 2026/27 but they have impressed over pre-season, following up a 1-1 draw with FC Porto in a behind-closed-doors friendly with Saturday's 2-1 victory over Danish outfit Brondby.
Those results should give the Hibees plenty of confidence heading into what looks a potentially tricky trip to Pristina to take on the side that finished second in last season's Kosovo Superleague.
Malisheva are playing this tie in the Kosovan capital rather than their usual Liman Gegaj Stadium, but they were also forced to play away from their home supporters in the first qualifying round and it did them no harm, as they thrashed Vllaznia 5-0, turning round the tie after they had lost the first leg.
Hibs are unlikely to suffer the same fate and should have too much quality for their hosts, but this could be a grind for the Edinburgh outfit, who may be short on match sharpness.
A win is the main aim for Hibs to take back to Easter Road for next week's return leg, but patience may be the key and they may have to wait until the second half to get their noses in front.
Alternative Bet: Both teams to score @ 10/11
Hibs have conceded in all four of their pre-season friendlies, as well as in their final six matches of 2025/26, with their last clean sheet being earned in a 3-0 victory over Kilmarnock on 4th April.
That will give Malisheva hope of getting on the scoresheet and they showcased their attacking firepower with the five goals they scored against Vllaznia.
However, defensively Thomas Brdaric's side can be suspect; they conceded 50 goals in last season's Kosovo Superleague, the same number as KF Llapi, who were involved in the relegation play-offs.
This could be an open contest and with clean-sheets at a premium for both sides, goals can be expected at either end.
KF Malisheva v Hibernian Bet Builder Tip
Hibernian to win
Over 2 goals
KF Malisheva to win most corners
Pays 11/2
Hibernian have the quality and European experience to win this first leg against a Malisheva side that have lost four of their six previous matches in Europe, including an 8-0 defeat to Vikingur Reykjavík in qualifying for last season's Conference League.
Hibs also went unbeaten in their three away European matches last season, earning impressive draws at Midtjylland and Legia Warsaw and winning 2-0 in Belgrade against Partizan.
Goals should also be expected, with eight having been scored across the two legs of Malisheva's first qualifying round tie, while at least three goals were scored in four of Hibs' final five matches of last season.
To complete this bet builder, it may be worth backing Malisheva to win the corner count, as Hibs were beaten in that regard in five of their final six matches of last term, including conceding 13 and 11 in defeats to Celtic and Hearts where they failed to earn a corner of their own in either contest.
Learn more about how Bet Builders work in our Bet Builder guide.
Key Match Stats
Hibernian reached the play-off round of last season's Conference League before being edged out by Legia Warsaw
The Hibees have not made the main draw of a major European competition since 2005
Hibs were unbeaten in their three European away matches last season
KF Malisheva are competing in European competition for just the third time
The Kosovans claimed their first aggregate victory in Europe after beating KF Vllaznia 6-2 over two legs in the first qualifying round
KF Malisheva have lost four of the six matches they have played in Europe
Read more football betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
