Make no mistake, this is a big game for Hibs.

With just one win from seven, victory at Dundee United today would be just the boost David Gray and his players will be craving ahead of next week's Edinburgh derby. A 2-1 defeat to Motherwell last time out may have been somewhat harsh on the balance of play, but the reality is Hibs need wins to kickstart their Premiership season.

United have made a good start to the campaign on their return from the Championship, but, on paper, this is the start of a fixture run where Gray's side should be expected to pick up points. Nectar Triantis is suspended, Nicky Cadden remains out with injury alongside long-term absentee Kieron Bowie, but both Joe Newell and Martin Boyle are back in contention after the international break allowed the pair time for recovery.

Here, Patrick McPartlin and Liam Bryce look at how Gray could set his team up.

Patrick McPartlin

While I could understand the arguments for keeping faith with the players who had come close to taking something from Ibrox, Motherwell at home is a very different prospect to Rangers away, and I wasn't wholly convinced that the 'same-again' approach would work. That being said, Gray was also hampered by not having some of his players available. It's also worth remembering that he is still relatively early on in his (permanent) managerial career and there will be mistakes or errors that ultimately should help mould him into a better coach. 

That being said, with the exception of Nectar Triantis who is suspended, I would be amazed if he picks the same team for Tannadice that started against Motherwell. He was very coy in his pre-match press conference about the availability of Martin Boyle and Joe Newell but surely the latter comes in for Triantis in midfield, and there's a chance Boyle could come back into the side at the expense of Chris Cadden on the right flank - and depending on how Lewis Miller is feeling after his trans-Pacific travels and two games for Australia, Cadden could present a replacement for the Socceroo or Boyle in the second half. 

The head coach spoke of 'a few variables' influencing his team choice, and mentioned players returning late from international duty, but he's pulled this trick before where he gives it the old smoke and mirrors treatment so it's hard to gauge what the situation might be. And 'variables' might cover a player only capable of playing 60 minutes, rather than missing out altogether. 

Dundee United have played with a back three so far in the league, but I'm not so sure Gray will want to match them man for man. He certainly has the options to go 3412, but may want to stick to the 4231/433 that he has used in most games so far this season. 

I think the biggest issue for Gray is having to manage his centre-forwards - the absence of Kieron Bowie has been keenly felt, but attacking options have been bolstered by the return of Boyle and Élie Youan. I think we'll see a couple of changes but any movement is surely likely to be in the middle of the park and potentially the right side. I think Rudi Molotnikov might get the nod at ten, with Josh Campbell able to replace him in the second half if his own international exploits with Scotland Under-19s catch up with him. After that, there should be plenty on the bench to shake things up if required - Chris Cadden, Dwight Gayle, and Élie Youan are all capable of making an impact.

My XI: Bursik; Miller, Ekpiteta, O'Hora, Obita; Kwon, Newell; Boyle, Molotnikov, Hoilett; Kukharevych.

Liam Bryce

This might be the most important team selection of Gray's short tenure to date, because, in his own words, Hibs simply need to start putting points on the board. Defeat at Tannadice would form a dark cloud over the build-up to next weekend's Edinburgh derby, but victory would go a fair way to shifting the mood music in this Hibs team's favour. 

They arguably did enough to beat Motherwell last time out, but costly errors in both boxes proved their undoing. While the result perhaps doesn't reflect the overall performance - and Gray has insisted he felt there wasn't much wrong with it - I would be surprised not to see changes in the starting XI. The obvious alteration is Newell immediately returning to the side to replace the suspended Triantis in midfield. And while I don't expect Gray to match United with a three at the back, he could be tempted to deploy a tighter midfield three akin to what we saw at Kilmarnock, at the expense of an out-and-out number 10.  That could present an opportunity for Nathan Moriah-Welsh, who would provide the industry and grit required to give Kwon some license to roam forward. The South Korean was the most advanced of the three when Hibs went to Rugby Park, and his ability to make powerful runs from through the lines could be useful here. 

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Having put the miles in representing Guyana over the international break, I don't expect Moriah-Welsh to complete 90 minutes, but the game opening up over time would then present the ideal chance to bring in Molotnikov to exploit space. Hibs' gameplan away at Killie, to the naked eye, looked to be focused on winning the battle before relying on quality to shine through as time wore on - and it almost worked to perfection. I can see Gray deploying a similar tactic here, and Moriah-Welsh is the most suitable addition.

In attack, Boyle could come straight back in to provide more pace, while Hoilett on the left is among the first names on the team sheet just now. Those two either side of Kukharevych should be a threatening proposition.

My XI: Bursik; Miller, Ekpiteta, O'Hora, Obita; Newell, Moriah-Welsh, Kwon; Boyle, Kukharevych, Hoilett.