Plymouth will take on Stoke City in the Championship this weekend with Wayne Rooney on the hunt for his first league win as Argyle boss.
Plymouth have picked up two points from their opening three matches while their opponents on Saturday, Stoke City, have picked up three.
The Potters have lost their last two matches, though, so this could represent a brilliant opportunity for Rooney and Plymouth to get a much-needed three points.
As part of our latest round of Championship betting tips, here is our Plymouth vs Stoke prediction.
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Plymouth vs Stoke prediction: The hosts to get off the mark
Key stats
- Plymouth have lost just one of their last four matches in all competitions.
- Stoke have lost their only other Championship away match this season.
- Plymouth's last three matches have all seen fewer than three goals scored.
- Stoke are yet to score an away Championship goal this season.
Correct score prediction: Plymouth 1-0 Stoke
This is highly unlikely to be a match for the purists as Plymouth have adopted a dogged and defensive approach since they opened the season with a 4-0 loss to Sheffield Wednesday. They have since conceded four goals in four matches but Stoke's away record this season indicates that the Pilgrims could be in line for their first league clean sheet of the season on Saturday.
Pre-game odds and win probability: Stoke go in as favourites
- Home: 2/1 (3.00) – 33.3%
- Draw: 13/5 (3.60) – 27.8%
- Away: 23/20 (2.15) – 46.5%
The Plymouth vs Stoke odds suggest that it is the away side who are more likely to leave Home Park with all three points on Saturday afternoon. Ladbrokes have priced the Stoke win at 23/20 while a win for Plymouth has been priced at 2/1. The draw, which is definitely on the cards on Saturday, has been priced at 13/5.
For more football predictions, check out our free betting tips for today page.
Most recent H2Hs: Honours even
Last season marked the first time that Stoke and Plymouth had met on the football field for more than 15 years due to the Pilgrims' slide down the divisions and Stoke's tenure in the Premier League. Both sides enjoyed wins over the other last season with Plymouth winning 2-1 at Home Park and Stoke winning 3-0 at the Bet365 Stadium.
England Championship 20/04/24
Stoke
Plymouth
England Championship 02/12/23
Plymouth
Stoke
Plymouth preview: Building blocks are in place
Many people wrote Plymouth off after their opening-day defeat to Sheffield Wednesday but they have responded well with two draws against Hull and QPR. Rumours continue to swirl about the future of their star man, Morgan Whittaker, and what happens with him could determine their season.
Predicted lineup: Hazard (GK), Edwards, Gibson, Galloway, Mumba, Randell, Forshaw, Cissoko, Gybai, Whittaker & Hardie
England Championship 03/05/25
L
Leeds
2
Plymouth
1
England Championship 26/04/25
W
Preston
1
Plymouth
2
England Championship 21/04/25
W
Coventry
1
Plymouth
3
England Championship 18/04/25
L
Middlesbrough
2
Plymouth
1
England Championship 12/04/25
W
Sheff Utd
1
Plymouth
2
Stoke preview: Another false dawn?
Stoke have enjoyed an opposite start to the season to Plymouth in that they kicked things off with a morale-boosting win over Coventry City before suffering two bruising defeats. They got back to winning way in the cup in the week but there is a feeling of one step forwards and two step back at the minute.
Predicted lineup: Johansson (GK), Tchamadeu, Wilmot, Gibson, Bocht, Thompson, Laurent, Manhoef, Joon-ho Bae, Gooch & Koumas
England Championship 03/05/25
D
Derby
0
Stoke
0
England Championship 25/04/25
L
Sheff Utd
2
Stoke
0
England Championship 21/04/25
L
Leeds
6
Stoke
0
England Championship 18/04/25
W
Sheff Wed
0
Stoke
2
England Championship 12/04/25
W
Cardiff
0
Stoke
1
Player to watch: Morgan Whittaker
The transfer window is now shut and Morgan Whittaker is still a Plymouth player in news that would have been well received by Wayne Rooney. Whittaker is unquestionably the jewel in Plymouth's crown and he has the ability to keep them afloat on his own – just as he did last season.
Whittaker hasn't let speculation around his future impact him in the early weeks of the season and he netted a wonder strike against QPR last weekend.