At risk of being cut adrift at the foot of the second tier, Plymouth Argyle will host promotion-chasing Burnley at Home Park for a Championship fixture on Wednesday night.
The Green Army have failed to enjoy a new manager bounce after two matches, whereas the Scott Parker-led Clarets are marching towards an instant return to the Premier League.
Match preview
© Imago
Plymouth Argyle are now a highly-concerning 13 matches without victory in the Championship, with Wednesday's hosts suffering a narrow defeat at the hands of a resurgent Queens Park Rangers on Saturday afternoon, when second-half substitute Rayan Kolli bagged the only goal of the contest.
The Green Army's Wayne Rooney-shaped experiment led to disaster during the first half of the term, and it is now the job of Austrian coach Miron Muslic to pick up the pieces, with the 42-year-old collecting a single point from his first two matches at the helm against Oxford United and QPR.
Winless in the second tier since a narrow triumph over newly-promoted Portsmouth in Devon on November 5, Plymouth are rooted to the bottom of the Championship standings, already five points behind Ruben Selles's Hull City who lie in the relative comfort of 21st position.
A run of three straight home matches has given Muslic a good chance to commence his tenure on a positive note, with the Pilgrims only losing three of their 13 second-tier battles at Home Park this term, fewer than Blackburn Rovers (4), who are currently in the playoff picture.
With last season's leading marksman Morgan Whittaker failing to replicate his 2023-24 form this time around, Plymouth have moved decisively in the winter market to bolster their attacking options, with 25-year-old Ghanaian Michael Baidoo joining from Swedish club Elfsborg for £1.5m.
© Imago
After conceding an eye-watering 78 goals in the Premier League last season under the stewardship of Vincent Kompany, defensive solidity has been the order of the campaign for Parker's Burnley to date, with Wednesday's visitors conceding just nine goals across 27 Championship matches.
The Clarets managed to keep their fifth straight shutout in the second tier during a Friday night clash against promotion rivals Sunderland last time out, when England goalkeeper James Trafford was the Turf Moor hero, saving a pair of penalties from Frenchman Wilson Isidor.
Despite being on course for the greatest defensive campaign in English league history, Burnley are currently outside of the top two in the Championship table, two points behind Chris Wilder's Sheffield United in second and three points back from Daniel Farke's pacesetting Leeds United.
Playing out three goalless draws during their last five league matches, it is clear that the Clarets need to increase their proficiency in front of net in order to secure an automatic return to the Premier League, with Burnley's 31 goals the lowest of sides in the top 11 of the division.
Whilst midfielder Josh Brownhill will no doubt continue to provide plenty of magical moments, Burnley have moved to strengthen their forward options so far this month, with Championship veteran Ashley Barnes switching to Turf Moor on a six-month contract from Norwich City.
Team News
© Imago
Suffering another injury setback, goalkeeper Conor Hazard remains on the sidelines for Plymouth, meaning that Dan Grimshaw will continue in between the sticks on Wednesday night.
The Pilgrims' options in defence are reduced further by the hamstring woes of Joe Edwards, who has not featured since the draw with Preston North End in late October.
After impressing in the FA Cup win over Reading, Mike Tresor was left out of the Burnley squad against Sunderland, with the winger facing a battle for a spot in the squad against the likes of Luca Koleosho and Jeremy Sarmiento.
Following the conclusion of his three-game suspension, former Manchester United youngster Hannibal Mejbri is available once again for the Clarets.
Attackers Manuel Benson, Nathan Redmond and Aaron Ramsey are all sidelined for the visitors, joining defender Jordan Beyer in the treatment room.
Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup:
Grimshaw; Mumba, Pleguezuelo, Palsson, Puchacz; Randell, Houghton, Whittaker, Baidoo, Cissoko; Hardie
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Trafford; Roberts, Egan-Riley, Esteve, Humphreys; Cullen, Laurent; Anthony, Brownhill, Foster; Flemming
We say: Plymouth Argyle 0-1 Burnley
Facing a formidable Burnley backline, Plymouth are likely to struggle to pose a threat at Home Park as they seek to end a 13-game winless run in the league.
The Clarets have the potential to slip up on the road in the Championship, although we feel that Parker's men should be good enough for victory on Wednesday against the division's bottom side.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
