Hibernian travel to Tynecastle on Sunday to take on arch rivals Heart of Midlothian hoping to continue the defence of the Scottish Cup, the oldest trophy in world football.

Neil Lennon's side are enjoying a fine campaign and are currently favourites for automatic promotion from the Scottish Championship to take their place in the top-flight once again.

The Edinburgh Derby is one which captures the imagination of not just supporters but neutrals too and it's undoubtedly the biggest match north of the border this weekend. With a sell-out crowd of around 17,500 expected, it's going to be a must-watch occasion with a fiery atmosphere.

Given Hearts ply their trade in the Premiership and Hibs a division below, you'd be right if you considered the Jambos favourite for this one but that won't stop the away support believing they can pick up a victory.

Here are THREE reasons why Hibs should be confident making the short trip across Edinburgh...

 The cup is theirs

After waiting 114 years to lift the Scottish Cup, Hibs finally managed to do what many Hibees thought impossible and win it for just the third time in their history last season.

Hibs had failed in ten finals prior to last year's May victory over Rangers, with three heartbreaking runners-up medals earned in the last 20 years alone.

It became a bit of a demoralising weight on Hibs' back but now they've realised supporters' dreams, they can play with renewed confidence and travel to Tynecastle with the swagger that only holders of the cup can have.

Their defence started at Tynecastle, too, and despite facing junior competition in the form of Bonnyrigg Rose, an 8-1 victory in the home of their rivals was just the ticket to get the ball rolling on another cup run.

 Jason Cummings

In Jason Cummings, Hibernian have a striker reaching the peak of his form, scoring six goals in his last six appearances for the club. That's part of a 15-goal haul so far this season and he's well on his way to scoring more than 20 across a campaign for the third season in a row.

It's that kind of goalscoring threat that saw him the subject of a reported £1.2m bid from Peterborough United last summer, a bid the club rejected. He then signed a long-term new deal with the Leith side in a move that delighted the club and the Easter Road faithful.

Cummings is no stranger to a goal against Hearts either. In February he became the first Hibernian player for 42 years to score in four consecutive Edinburgh derbies. Can he make it five on Sunday?

Last season's classic

Hibs faced Hearts at this stage of the competition last season, a division apart, with Alan Stubbs' side showing that there was no gap between the two sides over the tie.

Racing to a 2-0 lead at Tynecastle, it looked like Hibs' old foes were about to deny them another opportunity of winning the Scottish Cup but two goals in the final ten minutes of the game took the tie to a replay where a Jason Cummings goal was enough for a dramatic 1-0 victory to send the Hibees through. It was the catalyst for all that came after in the tournament.

They travel to Hearts in similar circumstances this season and will be hoping to pile pressure on new Hearts boss Ian Cathro, who has had a mixed start to his spell at Tynecastle.