Preview: Plymouth Argyle vs Coventry City - prediction, team news, lineups

Plymouth Argyle welcome Coventry City to Home Park on Tuesday evening for the second round of this season's EFL Cup campaign.

The Pilgrims scored a pair of late goals to overcome fierce rivals Exeter City in the previous stage, while the Sky Blues are playing their first match in this year's competition due to their fresh Premier League status.

Match preview

Despite only champions Lincoln City performing better than Tom Cleverley’s men in the final 15 matches of the campaign, Plymouth fell agonisingly short of qualifying for the League One playoffs last season, finishing just two points behind Stevenage in sixth place.

Following a 2-0 loss to noisy neighbours Exeter at St James Park in October 2025, Argyle sat inside the relegation zone of England’s third tier and although they ultimately failed to give themselves a shot at promotion, their recovery left Plymouth fans with plenty to look forward to ahead of the upcoming campaign.

However, the Pilgrims have not got off to the start they would have been hoping for and after a damning 3-1 home defeat against Stockport County on the opening day, Cleverley’s side were held to a 1-1 draw away to Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday afternoon, meaning they currently sit inside the division’s bottom four with just a singular point.

If the former Watford boss was to take a positive from the season’s launch though, it would undoubtedly be the resilience that his team showed to overcome Exeter in the previous round's Devon Derby, with former Grecians defender Alex Hartridge breaking the deadlock in added time before Aribim Pepple pounced for a second on the counter attack.

Heading into the second round for the fourth year in the spin, Argyle will certainly be hoping to lean on their strong home record against Coventry in order to progress, having not lost any of their previous three bouts with Tuesday’s opposition at Home Park.

Gearing up for an already huge league clash with fellow promoted side Hull City at the Coventry Building Society Arena next weekend, the Sky Blues will be seeking to build momentum in Tuesday evening’s EFL Cup clash after a difficult return to the Premier League.

Topping England’s second tier for the first time in almost 60 years last season, there was certainly reason for Coventry to be optimistic ahead of last weekend’s Premier League curtain raiser at the Emirates Stadium, however their ambitions were quickly crushed as they fell to a 3-0 defeat against the reigning champions.

Despite this, Frank Lampard’s men will find comfort in that they arguably now have their toughest test of the league campaign behind them and entering a nicer run of fixtures, will certainly be looking to get some points on the board.

Entering the competition in the second round following their promotion, the EFL Cup gives Coventry a great opportunity to ignite that head of steam and having never surpassed the semi-final stage, the Sky Blues will undoubtedly be dreaming of a deep cup run in the upcoming season.

Although they fell to a 3-1 defeat when last meeting Plymouth at Home Park, Coventry have a strong recent record against the Pilgrims, losing just two of the previous nine encounters between the sides and keeping a clean sheet in five of those meetings.

Plymouth Argyle form (all competitions):

Coventry City form (all competitions):

Team News

Awaiting full scan results, it seems as though midfielder Malachi Boateng could miss a lengthy spell for Plymouth after suffering a knee ligament injury against Wycombe on Saturday.

Cleverly is also set to be without Michael Baidoo until November with the Ghanaian recovering from a hamstring injury, though Freddie Issaka and Jack MacKenzie are expected to return from groin and knee problems respectively in the near future.

Picking up a knee issue in a friendly against Bristol City earlier this month, Owen Oseni looks likely to be out until the end of September, however he is currently progressing well in his rehabilitation process.

Coventry picked up no fresh injury concerns from their trip to north-London, though they remain without American striker Haji Wright, who is set to be sidelined for three months due to a thigh injury.

It remains to be seen whether defender Luke Woolfenden makes a return to the matchday squad having missed the previous month with a knock.

On the other hand, Lampard will be delighted to have welcomed English midfielder Jack Rudoni back to the squad on Friday night after the 25-year-old shrugged off a shoulder problem.

Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup:

Cooper; Harding, Ross, Pleguezuelo, Hartridge; Amaechi, Ibrahim, White, Curtis; Evans, Pepple

Coventry City possible starting lineup:

Wilson; Kitching, Bidwell, Thomas, Dasilva; Sakamoto, Yirenkyi, Rudoni, Torp, Hamer; Awoniyi

We say: Plymouth Argyle 1-2 Coventry City

Playing at Home Park in consecutive EFL Cup rounds, Plymouth will be confident that much like against Liverpool in the 2024-25 FA Cup campaign, they are capable of taking down Premier League opposition in the south-west.

However, although the Pilgrims will have their chances throughout the contest, we think Coventry will prove too strong for their hosts, even if they field a weakened side.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.