Plymouth Argyle host Queens Park Rangers this weekend hoping to get their first win under new head coach Miron Muslic.
Muslic took charge of Argyle for the first time on Tuesday evening, as his new side earned a point in a 1-1 draw against Oxford United.
Match preview
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Having survived the drop last season by one point, the hosts were among the pre-season favourites to go down, and their form so far this season has done little to silence their doubters.
After going through three different managers last season, Plymouth were hoping for a bit of stability with Wayne Rooney in charge, but the former Manchester United star lasted just over seven months at Home Park.
Rooney left the club on New Year's Eve, with Plymouth rooted to the bottom of the Championship table, after suffering 13 defeats in 23 matches.
Since Rooney's departure, the club's form has picked up, as they drew their next two league matches and caused a shock in the FA Cup with a 1-0 win over Brentford under interim boss Kevin Nancekivell.
The draw against Oxford on Tuesday kept Argyle within three points of safety, as they continued to put pressure on the teams above them.
Therefore, this weekend's clash is an important one in the context of their season, as three points would potentially leave Plymouth only in the relegation zone based on their goal difference.
Their poor goal difference has built up as a result of regular thrashings on their travels, as Plymouth have conceded 35 times away from home this season, scoring just three in reply.
Although Plymouth also possess one of the worst home records in the league, they have only lost twice at Home Park all season, something that Muslic will look to build upon in trying to guide the club to survival.
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Their opponents this weekend sit 13th in the Championship and have been in good form in recent months, losing just once in their past 11 league fixtures.
Last season, just three places and five points separated the two clubs in the table, as both teams were involved in the battle against relegation.
Heading into the weekend, the gap between the two is far bigger, with 11 places and points separating the clubs in the standings.
In the reverse fixture back in August, the two teams played out a 1-1 draw at MATRADE Loftus Road Stadium, despite Argyle ending the match with nine men following the dismissals of both Adam Forshaw and Freddie Issaka.
Despite the improvement from the visitors this season, they have still struggled to win on their travels, with only two victories away from home this campaign.
Their away woes continued last weekend, as they were outclassed by Leicester City in a 6-2 defeat in the third round of the FA Cup.
They will look to bounce back this weekend and get their first away win since late November, when they won 2-0 at Championship strugglers Cardiff City.
Their only other victory away from home this year came against Luton Town, who currently sit 20th in the standings ahead of the weekend's fixtures.
With both of their away wins this season coming against teams fighting relegation, head coach Marti Cifuentes has reason to be hopeful of a rare road win this weekend up against the side currently bottom of the Championship.
A victory could potentially take the R's to within six points of the playoff zone, and with plenty of games left in the season, the visitors could still mount a surprise playoff push.
Team News
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The hosts have a few players out of contention for this fixture due to injury, with Muhamed Tijani (leg) and Joe Edwards (hamstring) ruled out until late January.
Plymouth are suffering something of a defensive crisis, with both Kornel Szucs and Brendan Galloway ruled out for this fixture, while goalkeeper Conor Hazard is a doubt for this fixture after missing the clash with Oxford earlier this week.
In better news for the hosts, Ryan Hardie is expected to be back in contention after missing the last three matches with a shoulder injury.
Meanwhile, the visitors also have several injury concerns ahead of the clash at Home Park, as Lucas Andersen (calf), Liam Morrison (leg) and Zan Celar (hamstring) are out until later this month.
Elsewhere, Steve Cook (foot) and Karamoko Dembele (knee) remain long-term absentees for the R's.
Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup:
Grimshaw; Mumba, Palsson, Pleguezuelo, Puchacz, Sorinola; Gyabi, Randell, Al Hajj; Obafemi, Whittaker
Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:
Nardi; Paal, Fox, Dunne, Ashby; Varane, Field, Smyth, Morgan, Chair; Frey
We say: Plymouth Argyle 1-2 Queens Park Rangers
Plymouth have shown their fighting spirit in recent weeks and remain unbeaten since Rooney's departure from the club.
However, we believe that QPR will snatch the three points this weekend, as they aim to close the nine-point gap between themselves and the playoff zone.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Tom Humphrey
