Championship | Gameweek 14

Nov 5, 2024 at 8pm UK

Home Park

Plymouth vs Portsmouth

Match preview

Plymouth got promoted to the Championship with a great League One title-winning season in 2022-23, finishing with 101 points from 46 games.

The Greens did really well to stay in the division in their first campaign in the Championship since 2009-10 last year. They finished 21st in the table, just one point above 22nd-placed Birmingham City.

Wayne Rooney was brought in as the new permanent boss at the start of 2024-25 with the goal of simply staying in the league, but Plymouth have had a tough time getting off the ground under their new manager.

Rooney's team were thrashed 4-0 in their first game against Sheffield Wednesday, and then went on to win three, draw three and lose six of their next 12 league games.

After a promising start with three wins in six games, the team has now gone four matches without a victory. They've suffered three losses and only managed to secure one draw during that period. The one bright spot was their 3-3 draw with Preston North End, where they came from 3-0 down.

Portsmouth got promoted from League One for the first time since they were relegated from the second tier in 2011-12 last year. They lifted the League One title with 97 points from 46 games.

Pompey have also had a tough start to the 2024-25 season, currently sitting at the bottom of the Championship table with just nine points from 13 games.

John Mousinho's team have only managed one win in 14 games across all competitions, beating Queens Park Rangers 2-1. They've gone three games without a win.

Portsmouth are looking to take three points off a relegation rival and also secure bragging rights in the Dockyard Derby. Pompey have failed to win this fixture in the last seven meetings.

Recent Performance

Plymouth Argyle Championship form:

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Portsmouth Championship form:

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Team News

Just to give you a heads-up, the hosts will be without Brendan Galloway, Conor Hazard, Joe Edwards and Lewis Gibson for this match due to ongoing injury issues.

Plymouth were completely outplayed by Leeds United in their last game. They didn't even manage a single shot on target, so it looks like Rooney will have the chance to make a few changes here.

The visitors will be without Colby Bishop, Conor Shaughnessy, Ibane Bowat, Jacob Farrell and Paddy Lane, who are all ruled out due to ongoing injury concerns.

Andre Dozzell might also be a doubt after the midfielder was forced off in the 82nd minute of their 1-1 draw with Hull City last time out. That could mean Owen Moxon could start.

Possible starting lineups

Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup:

Grimshaw; Palsson, Szucs, Pleguezuelo, Mumba; Randell, Gyabi; Whittaker, Al Hajj, Cissoko; Obafemi

Portsmouth possible starting lineup:

Schmid; Devlin, Poole, McIntyre, Ogilvie; Potts, Moxon; Ritchie, Lang, Murphy; Yengi