Aiming to record three straight wins for the first time in over 18 months, Plymouth Argyle will welcome Millwall to Home Park for a Championship battle on Wednesday night.
The Pilgrims enjoyed a historic FA Cup beating of Premier League juggernauts Liverpool on the weekend, whilst the Lions also experienced a shock success in the same competition a day earlier.
Match preview
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For the first time since May 2023 - when the club was still plying its trade in League One - Plymouth Argyle have recorded back-to-back competitive wins recently, seeing off the attentions of West Bromwich Albion at Home Park on February 1 before a memorable triumph over the Premier League leaders on Sunday afternoon.
Despite making 10 changes from their EFL Cup semi-final clash a few days prior, Arne Slot's Liverpool were still packed to the brim with world-class talent in Devonshire on the weekend, when a second-half Ryan Hardie penalty was enough to knock the five-time FA Cup champions out of this season's proceedings at the fourth-round stage.
Following the sobering 5-0 defeat to title-chasing Burnley at Home Park on January 22, the Pilgrims have been assisted by a pair of key arrivals for the backline during the final knockings of the winter transfer window, with Maksym Talovierov and Nikola Katic performing admirably in defence so far.
Focusing on the stresses and strains of the second tier, Plymouth's collection of four points across battles with Sunderland and West Brom have left Miron Muslic's troops four points adrift of safety at the foot of the Championship standings, meaning that a great escape is a distinct possibility.
Bagging a match-winning brace off the bench against Tony Mowbray's West Brom during the Green Army's most recent league fixture, Hardie has now joined five teammates on three Championship strikes for the term, with the entire attacking unit chipping in to replace the goalscoring antics of 2023-24 Morgan Whittaker.
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Since the one-goal defeat at The Den to newly-promoted Oxford United on the first day of the calendar year, Millwall have managed to get their New Year's resolution of a playoff push back on track, with Wednesday's visitors losing just one of their last eight matches across all competitions.
The Lions roared to a fourth straight success on Saturday afternoon, when they produced one of the standout results of the FA Cup fourth round by silencing divisional rivals Leeds United at their Elland Road fortress, with summer signing Femi Azeez netting twice for the London-based club.
Aiming to extend their winning run to a staggering five games on Wednesday night at Home Park, Millwall are currently occupying 14th spot in the Championship rankings, although they are just five points behind sixth-placed Blackburn Rovers, highlighting the competitiveness of the second tier this season.
No team inside the top 17 of the division have scored fewer than the Lions' 30 goals so far this term, with leading marksman Duncan Watmore netting five times in the league by the conclusion September before enduring an eye-watering 19-match spell without a second-tier strike.
Despite winning only three of their 14 away matches in the Championship to date, Millwall have proved a tough nut to crack on the road for opponents, with just Burnley (5) and Leeds (12) conceding fewer than the Lions' 13 goals across second-tier outings so far in 2024-25.
Team News
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Plymouth are without the services of veteran Joe Edwards, who has not featured for the club since the end of October due to a hamstring injury.
The Pilgrims are coping admirably in defence despite a number of key absentees, including full-back Brendan Galloway, with the player sidelined for the remainder of the term because of a hip issue.
Whilst Talovierov and Katic hold up the fort at the back for the hosts, Hungarian enforcer Kornel Szucs will continue his recovery from a muscle injury.
Low-scoring Millwall are unable to call upon the talents of their main arrival over the summer, with loanee Josh Coburn out of action owing to a broken foot.
There are also selection headaches for the Lions to battle against in defence, with full-backs Dan McNamara and Ryan Leonard both occupying spots in the medical room.
Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup:
Hazard; Pleguezuelo, Katic, Talovierov; Sorinola, Randell, Houghton, Puchacz; Hardie, Wright, Bundu
Millwall possible starting lineup:
Jensen; Crama, Tanganga, Cooper, Bryan; Saville, De Norre, Connolly, Bangura-Williams, Cundle; Ivanovic
We say: Plymouth Argyle 1-1 Millwall
After the emotion of victory over Liverpool on Sunday afternoon, Plymouth could find it difficult to successfully return to the reality of a Championship relegation battle on Wednesday night.
That being said, the Pilgrims are no longer a pushover at Home Park under Muslic and should be good enough to force a share of the spoils with Millwall.
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Carter White
