New Stoke City manager Mark Robins will hope to start his career at the helm with a win when they host managerless Plymouth Argyle at bet365 Stadium on Saturday in the Championship.
The Potters are 19th with 26 points after 25 matchweeks and drew 0-0 with Burnley on Wednesday, while Plymouth are rooted to the bottom of the table in 24th place with 19 points, though they did draw 2-2 with 10th-placed Bristol City on January 1 after parting company with boss Wayne Rooney one day prior.
Match preview
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Stoke can be proud of their display against second-placed Burnley considering they created two big chances and hit the woodwork while limiting the Clarets to two big chances.
Robins was sacked by Coventry City in November after seven years in charge, and he will hope that his team can beat Plymouth for the second time this term after they defeated them 1-0 in the reverse fixture on August 31.
The hosts have struggled in front of goal for some time, with the club only finding the back of the net on five occasions in their nine most recent games.
Ryan Shawcross took temporary charge of the club's last two matches following Narcis Pelach's dismissal, and while he oversaw a win and a draw, Stoke lost five and drew four of their prior nine outings.
The Potters have only been defeated in two of their past 10 games at home, though they achieved just three victories in that period.
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Plymouth parted ways with Rooney after a nine-game winless run that had seen them lose six times in his final seven matches in charge.
Kevin Nancekivell led the team out against Bristol City as interim head coach, and he will be delighted that Julio Pleguezuelo was able to score a 91st-minute equaliser and earn Argyle a valuable point.
It should be noted that the visitors have played 24 games in the Championship and are currently four points from 21st-placed Portsmouth, who occupy the final spot outside the relegation zone but have played 23 times.
The Pilgrims have conceded 27 goals and scored on just nine occasions in their last nine fixtures, failing to find the back of the net four times.
Plymouth's away form is troubling, with the club failing to win any of their 14 matches on the road this term, losing 12 times while failing to score in their four most recent away outings.
Team News
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Stoke will not be able to call upon midfielders Ben Pearson and Jordan Thompson, so expect Tatsuki Seko and Wouter Burger to be paired together in a double pivot.
Forwards Lewis Koumas, Andrew Moran and Jun-Ho Bae all started last time out behind striker Thomas Cannon, and given Million Manhoef has been ruled out, the four attackers will almost certainly appear on Saturday.
Ashley Phillips is likely to feature in the heart of defence alongside Ben Wilmot, and the duo may be stationed in front of goalkeeper Viktor Johansson.
Plymouth will have to contend with the absence of attacker Callum Wright, who is suspended, as well as forwards Muhamed Tijani and Mustapha Bundu.
Nancekivell is unlikely to make many changes from the side that drew with Bristol City, and this could mean that striker Ryan Hardie is supported by Morgan Whittaker and Rami Al Hajj on Saturday.
Defender Joe Edwards is not scheduled to return from a hamstring injury until the middle of January, so perhaps centre-backs Kornel Szucs, Julio Pleguezuelo and Brendan Galloway will retain their places in defence.
Stoke City possible starting lineup:
Johansson; Tchamadeu, Phillips, Wilmot, Gooch; Seko, Burger; Koumas, Moran, Jun-Ho; Cannon
Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup:
Hazard; Szucs, Pleguezuelo, Galloway; Sorinola, Randell, Gyabi, Mumba; Whittaker, Al Hajj; Hardie
We say: Stoke City 2-1 Plymouth Argyle
The appointment of Robins should mean that Stoke come into the clash with fresh ideas and are likely to be more confident than their opponents of achieving a positive result.
Though Plymouth's draw last time out was a step in the right direction, they are still managerless, and it would not be surprising if they succumbed to defeat on Saturday.
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Lewis Nolan
