Plymouth Argyle will be looking to continue their impressive start to the 2021-22 League One season when they welcome struggling Crewe Alexandra to Home Park on Tuesday night.
The home side are currently fourth in the table, having picked up 18 points from their opening nine matches, while Crewe sit 23rd, picking up just six points during a disappointing start.
Match preview
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Plymouth finished 18th in League One last season, just six points clear of the relegation zone, but a fine start to the 2021-22 campaign has seen them collect 18 points from nine matches to sit fourth, just one point behind leaders Wigan Athletic, who have a game in hand alongside second-placed Sunderland.
The home side are unbeaten in the league since the opening weekend, when they lost at Rotherham United, and they have won four of their last six fixtures in the third tier of English football.
Ryan Lowe's side will enter Tuesday's contest off the back of a 2-1 home success over Doncaster Rovers on Saturday; Plymouth actually trailed 1-0 until the 68th minute, when Luke Jephcott levelled the scores with a penalty, before Conor Grant netted a spot kick of his own to win it in the 92nd minute.
The Pilgrims have won four of their last six meetings with Crewe in all competitions, meanwhile, but they only took one point from the two fixtures between the two teams last term.
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Crewe, who finished 12th in League One last season, have struggled to get going in the early weeks of the campaign, picking up just six points from nine matches to sit 23rd in the table.
It is hardly time to panic, as there is still so much football to play this season, but the fact that they have only won one of their opening nine league fixtures will be concerning to the club's supporters.
Crewe have only lost one of their last four in the third tier, though, and picked up a welcome point away at Rotherham United on Saturday, with Chris Porter's last-gasp penalty securing a share of the spoils.
The Railwaymen have now drawn their last two league matches on the road, but a record of two points from five away league fixtures this term will not exactly fill the fans with too much confidence.
David Artell's side have certainly shown improvement in recent fixtures, though, and they will be looking to pick up another positive result on Tuesday before welcoming Cambridge United next weekend.
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Team News
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Plymouth boss Lowe could name the same starting side for a third match in succession, with the team coming through Saturday's affair against Doncaster without any injuries.
As mentioned, Grant and Jephcott both netted from the penalty spot at the weekend and will retain their spots in the forward areas, while Ryan Hardie should be handed another start in attack.
Brendan Galloway was booked and then replaced against Doncaster, but the defender is fit for this match and is expected to again line up in a back three for the in-form hosts.
As for Crewe, Terrell Thomas and J'Neil Bennett both missed Saturday's clash with Rotherham through illness, and the pair are doubts for Tuesday's contest.
Luke Murphy came through Saturday's match unscathed following a recent hamstring injury, though, and the club captain will be fit to start this match.
Head coach Artell will have been pleased with his team's overall performance last time out, so it would not be a surprise to see the same XI, with a 3-4-3 formation including both Scott Kashket and Callum Ainley.
Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup:
Cooper; Wilson, Scarr, Galloway; Edwards, Camara, Houghton, Broom, Grant; Hardie, Jephcott
Crewe Alexandra possible starting lineup:
Jaaskelainen; Sass-Davies, Daniels, Offord; Ramsay, Murphy, Robertson, Adebisi; Kasket, Mandron, Ainley
We say: Plymouth Argyle 2-1 Crewe Alexandra
Plymouth have been excellent in the early stages of the season and will enter Tuesday's contest full of confidence. Crewe are certainly capable of making it a tricky encounter for the hosts, but we are backing Lowe's team to record another three points courtesy of a narrow success.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Plymouth Argyle win with a probability of 46.17%. A win for Crewe Alexandra had a probability of 28.05% and a draw had a probability of 25.8%.
The most likely scoreline for a Plymouth Argyle win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.06%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.18%) and 2-0 (8.28%). The likeliest Crewe Alexandra win was 0-1 (8.19%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.25%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 12.3% likelihood.
