Sports Mole previews Saturday’s Championship clash between Derby County and Plymouth Argyle, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Both buoyed by second-tier successes earlier in the week, Derby County and Plymouth Argyle will meet at Pride Park for a Championship battle on Saturday afternoon.
The Rams managed to collect maximum points on the road at Coventry City, whilst the Pilgrims enjoyed a major boost in the race for safety, beating relegation rivals Portsmouth.
Match preview
© Imago
Following a worrying four-game winless streak since returning from October’s international break, newly-promoted Derby County recorded their first victory in a month on Wednesday night, when the second-tier newcomers travelled across the Midlands to face struggling Coventry.
An 11th-minute strike from ex-Blackpool marksman Jerry Yates fired the Rams ahead early on before an own goal from Bobby Thomas doubled the visitors’ lead in the second period, meaning that Tatsuhiro Sakamoto‘s effort was a mere consolation and the final Sky Blues goal of the Mark Robins era.
After a much-needed win in the Midlands earlier in the week ahead of Saturday’s clash at Pride Park, Derby have moved up to 13th position in the Championship standings with 14 matches played in the schedule, three points above 22nd-placed Plymouth, who are the visitors this weekend.
Collecting 13 points from their opening six Championship battles in front of their home faithful, Paul Warne‘s side should be pretty confident of picking up a fifth win at Pride Park this weekend, however their most recent fixture at the venue resulted in a lacklustre stalemate with Hull City.
© Imago
After avoiding relegation to League One by just a single point at the conclusion of the 2023-24 campaign, Plymouth Argyle look set for another scrap for survival this time around under the stewardship of former Manchester United and England star Wayne Rooney, who is yet to prove himself as a credible manager.
That being said, the Pilgrims did manage to halt a concerning four-game winless streak on Tuesday night, when a second-half goal from former Swansea City and Burnley man Michael Obafemi secured maximum points at the expense of basement dwellers Portsmouth, who have won just once so far in the second tier.
Recording their fourth victory of the second-tier campaign earlier in the week, the Green Army remain in 22nd place but moved up to 15 points from their opening 14 contests, meaning that Rooney’s troops are within striking distance of Luton Town, Preston North End and Cardiff City.
Since returning to the Championship following their capture of the League One crown in 2023, Plymouth have tasted victory on just three occasions across 29 second-tier away trips, with the Pilgrims currently winless in six away league games so far in the 2024-25 campaign.
Derby County Championship form:
Plymouth Argyle Championship form:
Team News
© Imago
Replaced during the half-time interval in Coventry earlier in the week, Derby’s Callum Elder is a doubt for this weekend’s battle with Plymouth.
As a result, Scottish veteran Craig Forsyth is likely to be promoted from the bench to join the likes of Eiran Cashin and Curtis Nelson in the backline.
The Rams’ options in midfield continue to be limited by the absence of David Ozoh, who played five matches at the start of the season before sustaining a hamstring issue.
Plymouth are battling on without a number of their first-choice defensive options, with Brendan Galloway and Lewis Gibson sidelined due to ankle and thigh injuries respectively.
With Michael Cooper moving to Sheffield United over the summer and Conor Hazard (knee) in the medical room, Daniel Grimshaw is enjoying an extended run in between the sticks for the Pilgrims.
Derby County possible starting lineup:
Zetterstrom; Jackson, Nelson, Phillips, Cashin, Forsyth; Goudmijn, Adams, Thompson; Brown, Yates
Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup:
Grimshaw; Mumba, Pleguezuelo, Szucs, Sorinola; Houghton, Gyabi, Whittaker, Al Haji, Issaka; Obafemi
We say: Derby County 1-0 Plymouth Argyle
After a much-needed win at Coventry earlier in the week, Derby should be confident of putting a struggling Plymouth outfit to the sword at Pride Park.
Despite their recent home success over bottom side Portsmouth, we are not expecting the Pilgrims to record back-to-back maximums, with their woeful away form likely to continue this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.