Looking for their first league success since the departure of Wayne Rooney, Plymouth Argyle will host West Bromwich Albion at Home Park on Saturday afternoon in the Championship.
The Pilgrims have been the whipping boys of the second tier this campaign but managed a respectable point on the road last time out, whilst the Baggies are aiming for promotion to the Premier League via the playoffs.
Match preview
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Following a shock FA Cup success at the home of Brentford on January 11, the beginning of the Miron Muslic era at Home Park has yielded just two points from four games for Plymouth Argyle, who looked destined to drop back down to League One after a two-year absence.
That being said, the Green Army managed to upset the apple cart slightly on the road last Saturday afternoon, when a 90th-minute strike from summer arrival Nathanael Ogbeta secured a share of the points at Sunderland, who are one of the favourites for a top-two finish this term.
Whilst Muslic would have been proud of his side's showing at the Stadium of Light, the beginning of his tenure in Devonshire has been blighted by a pair of damaging home defeats, with Plymouth losing to Queens Park Rangers and Burnley by an aggregate scoreline of 6-0 at the end of January.
Winless across their last 15 second-tier contests stretching back to early November, the Pilgrims are currently rooted to the very bottom of the Championship standings ahead of this weekend's home match, seven points behind Portsmouth in the relative safety of 21st spot.
Conceding an eye-watering total of 62 goals in 29 Championship games so far, Plymouth have looked to address their defensive frailties in January, with left-back Tymoteusz Puchacz joining on loan from Bundesliga outfit Holstein Kiel for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.
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After the decision of former head coach Carlos Corberan to join Spanish giants Valencia on Christmas Eve, West Brom were at serious risk of dropping off a cliff in the Championship playoff race, however the early signs suggest that the Baggies are still contenders for the top six.
A failed attempt to bring Raphael Wicky to The Hawthorns as manager eventually led the Albion back to their roots in the form of Tony Mowbray, who is now seeking his second Championship promotion as boss of the Black Country outfit nearly two decades following his first.
The experienced coach commenced his second spell at the helm of West Brom with an eye-opening defeat at top-six rivals Middlesbrough on January 21, but Saturday's visitors have since enjoyed their biggest victory of the season to date, battering Portsmouth 5-1 in the West Midlands last weekend.
Bagging a brace and providing two assists during the pummelling of Pompey last time out, Grady Diangana rolled back to years to the 2019-20 term, in which he was simply unplayable alongside the likes of Matheus Pereira as the Baggies won automatic promotion to the Premier League under Slaven Bilic.
West Brom could really do with returning to winning ways on the road as they look to secure back-to-back playoff finishes, with the Baggies failing to win any of their last eight away matches across all competitions.
Team News
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Plymouth are light on options at the back because of Brendan Galloway's hip injury, with the 28-year-old ruled out for the remainder of the campaign.
There are more headaches in the backline for Muslic to contend with as Joe Edwards and Kornel Szucs fight hamstring and muscle issues respectively.
A contender for the Championship Golden Boot before a fitness issue, West Brom's Josh Maja is currently sidelined due to a calf injury, with the striker expected back in a few months.
The Baggies are also fighting on without the services of Kyle Bartley, who is set to return at some point during February from his own calf problem.
Mowbray's options at centre-back are further reduced by the absence of Semi Ajayi, with the Nigeria international suffering a hamstring strain in October.
Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup:
Hazard, Mumba, Pleguezuelo, Palsson, Puchacz; Randell, Houghton, Sorinola, Baidoo, Ogbeta; Hardie
West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:
Palmer; Furlong, Holgate, Heggem, Styles; Mowatt, Molumby; Fellows, Swift, Johnston; Wallace
We say: Plymouth Argyle 1-1 West Bromwich Albion
After a commendable draw at Sunderland last weekend, Plymouth should be confident of earning something from a clash with West Brom on Saturday.
The Baggies have not looked completely convincing under Mowbray just yet despite the 5-1 win over Portsmouth, and we feel that the visitors will be forced to settle for a point in Devon.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
