Sports Mall previews Saturday's Championship clash between Plymouth Argyle and Preston North End, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Plymouth Argyle They will be eager to get back to normal when they host on Saturday afternoon. Preston North End In the house park.
When the pilgrims occupy position 21 Championship stagesThe visitors recently rose to 16th place.
Competition Preview
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Wayne Rooney He is no stranger to being in charge of a team that has been in poor Championship form over the past 12 months and has taken on the task of ensuring that is not the case at Plymouth.
Despite entering the October international break with a 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers, defeats at Cardiff City and Millwall were recorded without a goal scored.
Some context is needed, especially for the game in South Wales, which saw the first half end 5-0 to Rivers at full time.
However, a 1-0 defeat to Millwall in midweek leaves the Pilgrims in 21st place in the table, two points above the relegation zone.
On a more positive note, Plymouth are now on a three-game winning streak at home, having also beaten Sunderland and Luton Town in that period.
Meanwhile, Preston finally appears to be on a steady upward trajectory. Paul Heckingbottom After his appointment in August.
There have only been two defeats in nine games, as Preston have managed to pick up eight points from their last four games.
Seven of those points came from home games against Watford, Coventry City and Norwich City, although their most impressive record was a goalless draw against rivals Burnley.
Now four points clear of the relegation zone, Heckingbottom will be hoping to finally end Preston's poor run of form. By the way, their last victory in the second division was against Plymouth on March 16.
Plymouth Argyle Championship Format:
Preston North End Championship Form:
Group messages
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Rooney is likely to shake up his Plymouth team and bring in the playmaker. Rami Al-Hajj In the last third.
Michael Obafemi You can also nod Ryan HardyBut Ibrahim Sissoko Suspended for red card against Cardiff.
Much of the Preston XI is likely to remain as Heckingbottom only made two substitutions during the Norwich match.
Stephen Thorson AND Mats Frogjaer-Jensen Introduced during that tournament and will likely be incorporated.
Milutin is osmotic Blackburn continues to serve eight-match ban for biting Rovers defender Owen Beck.
Plymouth Argyle probable starting lineup:
Grimshaw; Edwards, Suggs, Gibson, Bombay; Coffee, Randall; Whittaker, Al Hajj, Bundy; Obafemi
Preston North End likely starting lineup:
woodcutter; Kessler-Hayden, Storey, Lindsay, Hughes; Wightman, McCann; Holmes, Greenwood, Brady; reese
We say: Plymouth Argyle 1-1 Preston North End
Although Plymouth are on the ropes at the moment, their form in front of their own fans has been excellent. With that in mind, we back Rooney's men to claim a share of the spoils against an improving Preston team.
Click here to see the data analysis of the most likely results, scores and more for this match.
