Looking to earn their first points under new management amid a relegation dogfight, Rotherham United will travel to Home Park on Saturday afternoon to face Plymouth Argyle in the Championship.
The Green Army managed to grind out a goalless draw at Queens Park Rangers on Wednesday night despite a numerical disadvantage, while the Millers were beaten by West Bromwich Albion a day earlier.
Match preview
© Reuters
Following the sending off of centre-back Dan Scarr for a high challenge on QPR playmaker Ilias Chair in the 25th minute on Wednesday, it was a backs-to-the-wall performance from Plymouth Argyle as they navigated their way through the contest unscathed at Loftus Road to earn their fourth away point of the season.
The Pilgrims' defensive solidity in the capital was a stark contrast to their trip to the King Power last weekend, when an early second-half capitulation allowed Enzo Maresca's league-leading Leicester City to condemn the visitors to a 4-0 loss, with Patson Daka, Wilfred Ndidi and Stephy Mavididi getting onto the scoresheet.
Back-to-back outings in the Championship over the past week did not yield a maiden victory on the road this term for Plymouth, meaning they are now 11 games without maximum points in second-tier away matches, but their form at their Devonshire base is much greater, collecting 19 points from 10 contests.
Steven Schumacher's men currently occupy 18th position in the league standings following a stalemate against Marti Cifuentes's resurgent Rangers, with the Green Army sitting 10 points behind sixth-placed Sunderland and just three above the bottom three.
Making the step up from League One with relative ease as we approach the halfway point of the campaign, former Swansea City youngster Morgan Whittaker is leading Argyle's goalscoring charts with eight goals, and the attacker has also provided a healthy tally of three assists in 21 league appearances.
© Reuters
The Leam Richardson era officially commenced at the AESSEAL New York Stadium on Tuesday night as Carlos Corberan's tricky West Brom outfit arrived in Yorkshire, but unfortunately, the ex-Wigan Athletic boss was unable to record a result from his first match in charge of relegation-threatened Rotherham.
The Millers were on their best behaviour defensively to keep a slightly-misfiring Albion side at bay before the half-time interval, although the Baggies moved up a gear in the second period and got their rewards, with strikes from Grady Diangana and substitute Jed Wallace extending Rotherham's winless streak to nine matches.
Richardson has stated that he will probably need a couple of transfer windows to get the squad to where he wants, but there is a serious short-term pressure on the 44-year-old to turn around the club's fortunes with the players at his disposal, as the Yorkshire club are eight points adrift of Darren Moore's Huddersfield Town in 21st.
Former interim boss Wayne Carlisle and others helped the new manager select the starting XI on Tuesday night, with the coaching team collectively deciding to drop Sam Nombe to the bench for the visit of West Brom, despite the striker finding the net last weekend at Swansea City.
Rotherham and Plymouth are the only sides in the Championship that are yet to win on their travels in 2023-24, but the former have earned just two points from 10 outings, scoring just four times and allowing 25 strikes into the net of highly-rated and overworked goalkeeper Viktor Johansson.
Team News
© Reuters
Plymouth will be unable to call on the services of defender Scarr for three matches due to his red card last time out, meaning Julio Pleguezuelo should start alongside Lewis Gibson on the weekend.
The absence of the former Birmingham City youngster could allow Macauley Gillesphey back into the matchday fold at Home Park, with the 28-year-old struggling to find a place in the first-team plans after recovering from injury.
Ryan Hardie started his first match since October following rehabilitation from a hamstring strain, and the six-goal forward is expected to line up alongside Whittaker and Bali Mumba in a front three once again.
Conor Hazard was named in between the sticks for the Pilgrims at Loftus Road, but with Michael Cooper set to return from a dead leg, the Northern Ireland international may have to settle for a spot on the bench.
After failing to make the desired impact against his former employers on Tuesday, striker Jordan Hugill is expected to drop out of the XI in order to make way for summer arrival Nombe or veteran Tom Eaves.
Hakeem Odoffin has been operating at centre-back in recent matches and fared reasonably well alongside Sean Morrison despite defeat against the Baggies, meaning the 25-year-old should regain his spot in the backline.
A long-term absentee for the Millers is ex-Millwall man Shane Ferguson, who is targeting a return to first-team action just after the New Year.
Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup:
Cooper; Kesler-Hayden; Pleguezuelo, Gibson, Miller; Azaz, Houghton, Randell; Mumba, Whittaker, Hardie
Rotherham United possible starting lineup:
Johansson; Lembikisa, Morrison, Odoffin, Revan; Lindsay, Tiehi, Rathbone, Appiah, Bramall, Nombe
We say: Plymouth Argyle 2-0 Rotherham United
After battling through 70 minutes with 10 players in the week against QPR, an 11-man Plymouth will be raring to rack up the goals against the division's bottom side at Home Park.
Rotherham did not look like scoring on Tuesday night and considering their woeful record on the road, we cannot imagine a result for the Millers from their maiden away trip under Richardson.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
