Preview: Plymouth Argyle vs Barnsley - prediction, team news, lineups

Plymouth Argyle's 2025-26 League One campaign will start on Saturday afternoon, with the Pilgrims beginning life back in the third tier with a home fixture against Barnsley.

The hosts finished 23rd in the Championship last season to drop into the third tier, while Barnsley were 12th in League One last term, 17 points off the playoff positions, so there is clear room for improvement this term.

Match preview

Luton Town are regarded as the favourites to win League One this season, but Plymouth are also expected to be up there, so there is a lot of pressure on the Pilgrims to perform during the 2025-26 campaign.

Tom Cleverley was appointed head coach of Plymouth at the start of June, and it will be fascinating to see how the former Manchester United midfielder performs at the club following his time in charge of Watford.

Plymouth are preparing to play in League One for the fourth time in five seasons, so they know what it is all about at this level, and they were champions of the third tier in 2022-23.

The Pilgrims have been incredibly busy during this summer's transfer window, with Aribim Pepple, Bradley Ibrahim and Brendan Wiredu among those to arrive at the club.

There have also been a number of departures, including Maksym Taloverov and Ryan Hardie, so there will be a fresh look to the squad during the 2025-26 campaign, which was needed after a disappointing season.

Barnsley, meanwhile, finished 12th in League One last season, boasting a record of 17 wins, 10 draws and 19 defeats from their 46 matches to collect 61 points, 17 off the playoff spots.

Conor Hourihane's side have also been busy during the summer market, with David McGoldrick among those to arrive, while there have been a number of departures, so there will also be a new look to their squad this term.

The Reds were relegated from the Championship at the end of the 2021-22 season and have since finished fourth, sixth and 12th in the third tier, showing the disappointment of 2024-25.

There is clear room for improvement during the current season, and they have had a relatively strong pre-season, winning two and drawing two of their five friendlies, with their only loss coming against Buxton.

Barnsley recorded a 3-0 victory over Plymouth when the two sides last locked horns in March 2023.

Plymouth Argyle pre-season form:

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Barnsley pre-season form:

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Team News

Plymouth are set to hand debuts to a whole host of their new signings in this match, including Pepple, with the 22-year-old in line to feature at the tip of their attack.

Ibrahim and Wiredu should also start following their arrivals over the summer, while there could also be minutes for Owen Oseni, who has joined the club from St Mirren.

Plymouth's squad is in good shape in terms of injuries, although Brendan Galloway will miss this weekend's contest due to an injury problem; Hardie, as mentioned, will also be a notable absentee, with the striker, who scored 10 times in the Championship last term, making the move to Wrexham.

As for Barnsley, there is unlikely to be a starting spot for 37-year-old McGoldrick, but the experienced striker is expected to be involved at some stage of the opening-weekend contest.

Nathanael Ogbeta is on loan at Barnsley from Plymouth, so he will be unable to feature on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Josh Earl and Marc Roberts have been ruled out of the fixture due to injury problems.

Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup:

Hazard; Edwards, Szucs, Wiredu, MacKenzie; Boateng, Ibrahim; Amaechi, Watts, Paterson; Pepple

Barnsley possible starting lineup:

Smith; De Gevigney, Shepherd, Barratt; Gent; Phillips, Connell, Kelly; Farrugia, Cleary, Jalo

We say: Plymouth Argyle 2-1 Barnsley

Plymouth have only won one of their last five matches against Barnsley, but with home advantage, we are backing the Pilgrims to navigate their way to all three points on the opening weekend of the new campaign.

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