Preview: Plymouth Argyle vs Luton Town – prediction, team news, lineups

Plymouth Argyle Be a host Luton Town on Friday evening looking for the win that would take them out of the Championship relegation zone.

At a time when the Pilgrims are 20th in the table, Luton are in 15th, having recently gone on a two-game winning streak.

Game preview

© Imago

When Plymouth were completely outclassed by a Sheffield Wednesday, who have since struggled on the opening weekend, the criticism was for Wayne Rooney was inevitable.

Although Plymouth are still just one point above the relegation zone, it is difficult to direct too much negativity towards the Manchester United and England legend over the last six weeks.

Their heaviest defeat in the Championship since the capitulation at Hillsborough came with a 1-0 result (twice), one of which was against league leaders West Bromwich Albion last Saturday.

A thrilling 3-2 home win was also recorded against previous leaders Sunderland after the Black Cats had conceded just one goal in their other five games.

Looking at it from a different perspective, this is the only game in which Plymouth have scored in their last four games, but optimism is growing at Home Park ahead of another challenging clash.

Rob Edwards would have expected his Luton side to be comfortably in the top half of the table at the time, but it took two consecutive wins to move up to 15th.

Having picked up just one point from a possible 12 before the international break in September, Edwards would have been grateful for more time on the training pitch to calm the situation.

Since then, a 1-0 triumph at Millwall has been followed by a 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday, results which have lifted spirits at Kenilworth Road.

Luton have now found their footing in their attempt to mount a promotion campaign, but improvements were still needed in the final third, with just five goals scored in their six Second Division games.

Plymouth Argyle Championship form:

Plymouth Argyle form (all competitions):

Luton Town Championship form:

Luton Town form (all competitions):

Team news

© Imago

Barring any fitness issues, Rooney could plausibly choose the same Plymouth XI that fought hard at the Hawthorns a week ago.

Rami Al Hajj pushing for his first start since arriving in August, Adam Forshaw or Adam Randell There is a risk of losing touch in midfield.

Callum Wright, Mustapha Bundu And Michael Obafemi There are also alternatives in the last third.

As for Luton, Edwards needed to make changes to secure a comeback win against Sheffield Wednesday and he could opt to freshen things up here.

Two-goal hero Carlton Morris can expect to return in the final third instead of Tahith Chong or Jordan Clark.

Boy Zack Nelson also urges a beginning, but Victor Moses will likely have to wait for the same opportunity after making his debut as a substitute last weekend.

Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup:
Grimshaw; Edwards, Szucs, Gibson, Mumba; Randell; Whittaker, Gyabi, Forshaw, Cissoko; Hardy

Possible Luton Town starting lineup:
Kaminski; Burke, McGuinness, Mengi; Walters, Walsh, Nakamba, Doughty; Morris, Chong; Adebayo

We say: Plymouth Argyle 1-2 Luton Town

With Plymouth seemingly improving under Rooney, we can't rule out them securing maximum points in this competition. On the other hand, Luton appear to be gaining some momentum, leading us to bet on a hard-fought win for Edwards' men.

For data analysis of the most likely outcomes, scores and more for this game, please click here.

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