Scotland hero James McFadden reckons the underdog factor could help spur Hearts on in their Scottish Cup semi-final against Hibs.
The Edinburgh clubs will go head-to-head in the last four clash on either Saturday, 31 October or Sunday, 1 November.
Aberdeen will face Celtic in the other semi-final, with the winners of both matches to meet in the final on 20 December.
Should Hearts' relegation from the top flight be upheld when the Scottish FA arbitration outcome is known this week, then they'll likely just be a matter of days into their Championship campaign when the semi-final comes around this autumn.
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And McFadden feels that the pressure will all be on Hibs as a result, with Hearts clear underdogs.
He told BBC Sportsound: "It's a semi-finals against your rivals. If the decision is upheld and they are in the Championship then they'll be underdogs, no matter who's in their team. No matter how they've started the season, they'll still be underdogs against Hibs because they are the Premiership side.
"It's probably one where you look at it and go everything that can go against them, already is. So they go into that game, not with a free hit because it's a semi-final against your rivals, but with everybody expecting and looking to see if Hearts are going to be able to perform.
"They've still got good players, Robbie Neilson's gone in with a proven track record as a manager. It's a great opportunity for them to go and cause an upset because people will look at it and say Hibs are favourites."
