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

Plymouth Argyle will welcome fans back to Home Park on Tuesday, as they play host to Swansea City in a pre-season friendly.

Their preparations for the season started with a 5-1 victory against Plymouth Parkway, a 7-0 away win over Saltash United and a 1-1 draw away against Bristol Rovers, while the Swans comfortably defeated Newport County 5-0 last week.

Match preview

Plymouth Argyle started their pre-season with a clash against non-league outfit Plymouth Parkway, and they came out as comfortable 5-1 winners.

They would then ramp up the intensity with a 7-0 away victory over Saltash United, with Niall Ennis and Ryan Hardie each netting braces alongside goals from Conor Grant, Panutche Camara and Rhys Shirlie.

Ryan Lowe's side took on their first league opposition in the most recently friendly, drawing 1-1 away against Bristol Rovers as Aaron Collins equalised for the hosts with a penalty after Luke Jephcott had put the Pilgrims ahead with a spot kick of his own.

The League One outfit now face another step up in calibre of opposition in pre-season, and they will hope to step up to the challenge as they continue to prepare for the upcoming season in England's third tier with half an eye on the playoff places.

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Swansea continued their pre-season preparations with a friendly against Newport County on Wednesday, in a game played over two 60-minute matches behind closed doors.

A Liam Cullen brace saw them take a 2-0 lead before the break, and Ben Margetson, Yan Dhanda and Joel Latibeaudiere all found the net in the second half to see them come away with an impressive 5-0 win.

After an important and productive run out, Steve Cooper's men will hope to build heading into their first official 90-minute game in front of a crowd, as they aim to prepare to lodge another promotion bid in the upcoming season.

The Swans came agonisingly close to returning to the Premier League last year, as they finished fourth in the Championship and defeated Barnsley 2-1 on aggregate in the playoff semi-final to book a tie with Brentford at Wembley.

That game would not go according to plan for Cooper's men, though, as early goals from Ivan Toney and Emiliano Marcondes killed the Welsh outfit off before the half-hour mark, with the game finishing 2-0.

They will be desperate to go one better this year, and will hope to prepare in the best possible way with a strong pre-season campaign.

Team News

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The Plymouth Argyle line should be led by Luke Jephcott, who found the net in the draw with Bristol Rovers after hitting 16 league goals last season.

New centre-back Macauley Gillesphey should be handed more minutes after arriving from Brisbane Roar this summer.

This Swansea City side should look slightly different to the one that missed out in last year's playoff final, with forward Andre Ayew out of contract and goalkeeper Freddie Woodman, centre-back Marc Guehi and midfielder Conor Hourihane all seeing their loan spells in Wales come to an end.

However, Steve Cooper has added to his options with the signings of midfielder Liam Walsh and Dutch forward Joel Piroe, with both players expected to get game time on Tuesday.

Liam Cullen should continue to lead the line alongside Piroe, having hit a brace in the friendly against Newport County.

Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup:

Cooper; Wilson, Scarr, Gillesphey; Edwards, Camara, Houghton, Mayor, Grant; Hardie, Jephcott

Swansea City possible starting lineup:

Hamer; Naughton, Cabango, Latibeaudiere; Roberts, Walsh, Smith, Dhanda, Bidwell; Piroe, Cullen

We say: Plymouth Argyle 1-3 Swansea City

Plymouth certainly having the attacking threat to hurt Swansea, with the likes of Jephcott and Hardie capable of finding the net, but the Swans should ultimately come out victorious on Tuesday.

Despite having a weakened squad compared to last season, Cooper knows how to get the best out of his side, and he will know the importance of a strong pre-season heading into a promotion bid.