Plymouth Argyle play host to Luton Town on Friday night looking for the win that would take them clear of the Championship relegation zone.
At a time when the Pilgrims sit in 20th position in the standings, Luton are 15th having recently put together a two-match winning streak.
Match preview
![Wayne Rooney Manager of Plymouth Argyle thanks their fans after the Sky Bet Championship match between Queens Park Rangers and Plymouth Argyle at Loftus Road Stadium, London, on 24 August 2024 [on August 25, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/34/wayne-rooney.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Wayne Rooney Manager of Plymouth Argyle thanks their fans after the Sky Bet Championship match between Queens Park Rangers and Plymouth Argyle at Loftus Road Stadium, London, on 24 August 2024 [on August 25, 2024]")
© Imago
When Plymouth were thoroughly outclassed by a Sheffield Wednesday that have since struggled on the opening weekend, the criticism for Wayne Rooney was inevitable.
However, while Plymouth still only sit one point clear of the relegation zone, it is difficult to aim too much negativity at the Manchester United and England legend over the past six weeks.
Their heaviest defeat in the Championship since that capitulation at Hillsborough has been by a 1-0 scoreline (twice), one of which was last Saturday at leaders West Bromwich Albion.
A thrilling 3-2 victory has also been posted at home to previous frontrunners Sunderland, the Black Cats having only conceded once in their other five fixtures.
From a different perspective, that is the only fixture that Plymouth have scored in during their last four matches, yet optimism is building at Home Park ahead of another testing encounter.
Rob Edwards would have expected his Luton side to be sitting comfortably in the top half of the table at this stage, yet it has taken back-to-back wins just to move into 15th place.
Having only accumulated one point from a possible 12 before the September international break, Edwards would have been grateful for the extended period on the training pitch to calm things down.
Since then, a 1-0 triumph at Millwall has been followed by a 2-1 success over Sheffield Wednesday, results which have lifted the mood at Kenilworth Road.
Luton now have a foothold in their bid to launch a promotion campaign, yet improvements continued to be needed in the final third with just five goals coming from their six second-tier outings.
Team News
© Imago
Barring any fitness issues, Rooney could plausibly select the same Plymouth XI that battled hard at The Hawthorns a week ago.
Rami Al Hajj is pushing for his first start since his August arrival, Adam Forshaw or Adam Randell at risk of missing out in midfield.
Callum Wright, Mustapha Bundu and Michael Obafemi are also alternatives in the final third.
As for Luton, Edwards needed to make alterations to secure a comeback win over Sheffield Wednesday, and he could opt to freshen things up here.
Two-goal hero Carlton Morris can expect to return in the final third in place of Tahith Chong or Jordan Clark.
Youngster Zack Nelson is also pushing for a start, but Victor Moses will likely have to wait for the same opportunity having made his debut as a substitute last weekend.
Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup:
Grimshaw; Edwards, Szucs, Gibson, Mumba; Randell; Whittaker, Gyabi, Forshaw, Cissoko; Hardie
Luton Town possible starting lineup:
Kaminski; Burke, McGuinness, Mengi; Walters, Walsh, Nakamba, Doughty; Morris, Chong; Adebayo
We say: Plymouth Argyle 1-2 Luton Town
With Plymouth seemingly improving under Rooney, we cannot rule them out of securing maximum points from this contest. On the flip side, Luton are seemingly building some momentum, leading us to back a hard-earned victory for Edwards' men.
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