Preview: Doncaster Rovers vs Plymouth Argyle - prediction, team news, lineups

Aiming to end their winless start to the League One season, Doncaster Rovers will welcome Plymouth Argyle to the Club Doncaster Sports Village in the fifth round of league fixtures on Saturday.

The hosts have managed three points from their first four matches, while their visitors suffered a midweek defeat after a first win last Saturday.

Match preview

Doncaster Rovers will bid to put a first notch in their wins column in League One on Saturday after a relatively slow start to their second straight season in England's third tier.

After winning promotion, they managed a comfortable 14th-placed finish last time around under Grant McCann but are yet to get fully up and running in 2026-27, with their only win coming through a penalty shootout to progress in the EFL Cup against Stockport County in their season-opener.

The Rovers then started their league campaign with a 2-1 away defeat to Mansfield Town and have since played out three consecutive draws alongside an EFL Cup defeat to Middlesbrough, firstly sharing the points with Barnsley and Stevenage.

McCann's men then hosted Notts County on Tuesday and led until the hour mark through Isaac Hutchinson, only to be pegged back and forced to share the points in a 1-1 draw as Oli Cooper levelled for the visitors.

Now with three points on the board from four outings, including two from two home games, Doncaster Rovers will hope to kickstart their campaign with a first win at the fifth time of asking at the weekend.

Their visitors, meanwhile, arrive in South Yorkshire in search of a return to winning ways, having suffered a midweek setback in a mixed start to their season.

Plymouth Argyle headed into 2026-27 with optimism, having eventually finished eighth last time around in their first season under Tom Cleverley as one of the division's form teams in 2026, shooting up the division as they won 14 and lost just four of their 23 league matches after the turn of the year to fall just two points short of the playoff spots after a poor start.

Then setting out for a full term of challenging at the top of the table for a return to the Championship, the Pilgrims have managed four points from their first four league matches, having started with a loss to Stockport County and a draw at Wycombe Wanderers before an EFL Cup exit at the hands of Coventry City.

Cleverley's men then managed a first league victory last weekend, beating Bradford City 2-0 at home thanks to goals from Julio Pleguezuelo and Harvey White, only to lose by the same scoreline in a midweek trip to Leicester City as Will Alves and Harry Howell scored first-half goals to send them home empty-handed.

Yet to find the consistency that saw them surge into the playoff race last time around, Plymouth Argyle will look for a first away win of the season on Saturday.

Doncaster Rovers League One form:

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Doncaster Rovers form (all competitions):

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Plymouth Argyle League One form:

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Plymouth Argyle form (all competitions):

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Team News

Doncaster Rovers are set to remain without defenders Tom Nixon, Matty Pearson and Jamie Sterry and attackers Francis Okoronkwo and James Collins due to ongoing injuries.

Grant McCann may field an unchanged starting XI from their midweek draw against Notts County, with Isaac Hutchinson having netted his second goal of the season from an advanced midfield role.

He may again support Alfie May and Brandon Hanlan up front, while star midfielder Owen Bailey offers further attacking threat having scored 13 league goals last season.

Plymouth midfielders Michael Baidoo and Malachi Boating remain sidelined, while Owen Oseni and Jack MacKenzie should also still be ruled out.

Will Evans has started every game up front since his summer arrival from Mansfield Town, while Aribim Pepple will likely return to join him having notched up 16 goals in 35 League One appearances for the Pilgrims in 2025-26.

Summer signings Harvey White and Tyreeq Bakinson should continue in midfield, while Ronan Curtis and Xavier Amaechi will hope to keep their places in support of the front two despite competition from the likes of Caleb Watts and Oliver Irow.

Doncaster Rovers possible starting lineup:

Simkin; Grehan, Byrne, McGrath, Senior; Bailey, Gotts; O'Reilly, Hutchinson; Hanlan, May

Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup:

Cooper; Harding, Mitchell, Pleguezuelo, Hartridge; Amaechi, Bakinson, White, Curtis; Pepple, Evans

We say: Doncaster Rovers 1-1 Plymouth Argyle

We anticipate a tight contest on Saturday with both teams fighting to kickstart their campaigns with wins.

The visitors arguably boast the better quality but are yet to find their groove, while the hosts have, at least, been tough to beat early on this term.

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