Preview: Plymouth Argyle vs Northampton Town - prediction, team news, lineups

Plymouth Argyle welcome Northampton Town to Home Park on Saturday afternoon in a crucial League One fixture for both sides.

Despite finally ending their winless run with a narrow 1-0 victory over Port Vale, the Pilgrims remain in the relegation zone, while Northampton slipped to a 3-1 defeat against Cardiff City last weekend and sit 17th as they look to regain momentum.

Match preview

Relegated from the Championship last season, Plymouth Argyle would have expected to be at the other end of the table at this stage of the campaign.

However, Tom Cleverley, appointed in June, has endured a difficult start to life as Plymouth boss, recording just five wins, one draw and ten defeats in his opening 16 league games, leaving the Pilgrims 23rd on 16 points.

Their hard-earned win over bottom-placed Port Vale last time out ended a run of seven matches without a win and provided a much-needed boost, but significant issues remain.

The most major of those issues being Argyle's defensive record, with their 28 goals conceded the highest in the division and a statistic that underpins many of their struggles.

The Home Park faithful will be hoping for successive clean sheets, something the Pilgrims have yet to achieve this season, along with another valuable three points to spark a potential turnaround.

As for Northampton Town, they arrive in Devon with an inconsistent record that has largely affected their campaign so far.

Kevin Nolan's side are 17th with 20 points from 16 matches, but a shortage of goals has limited their progress.

The Cobblers have found the net only 13 times, the second-lowest total in the division, despite having a far stronger defence, conceding just 17 goals compared to Plymouth's 28.

Their tendency to follow victories with immediate defeats has prevented any real momentum from developing, and Nolan will be eager to address that pattern as the season approaches its midway stage.

If they can find greater attacking potency, they have the tools to climb the table, and a seventh league win could propel them into the top half and give them some much-needed momentum.

Plymouth Argyle League One form:

D L L L L W

Plymouth Argyle form (all competitions):

L L L L L W

Northampton Town League One form:

L W L L W L

Northampton Town form (all competitions):

L L L W W L

Team News

Plymouth's struggles have been intensified by a lengthy injury list.

Jack MacKenzie and Julio Pleguezuelo remain long-term absentees, but Joe Edwards returned from injury last time out and could be recalled if Cleverley opts for changes.

Ayman Benarous was forced off shortly after coming on against Port Vale and is expected to miss out.

Northampton have had several fixture disruptions through cup ties and postponements and may use the opportunity to freshen things up.

They suffered no new injuries in the defeat to Cardiff and were boosted by the return of Ethan Wheatley, who marked his return with a goal.

As a result, he is likely to partner Tom Eaves up front again.

Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup:

Hazard; Szucs, Mitchell, Ross, Galloway; Boateng, McCabe; Edwards, Mumba, Dale; Tolaj

Northampton Town possible starting lineup:

Fitzsimons, McCarthy, Thorniley, Forbes; Burroughs, Taylor, Campbell, Perkins; Fornah; Eaves, Wheatley

We say: Plymouth Argyle 1-2 Northampton Town

With both sides desperate to follow up their recent results with another positive performance, this fixture has all the makings of a scrappy and hard-fought encounter.

Plymouth need a spark to lift them out of the relegation zone, but we expect Northampton's greater defensive stability and counter-attacking threat to edge them over the line, earning three valuable points on the road.

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