- Plymouth have led at half time in their last four home league games
- Stoke have conceded early goals in their last two Championship matches
- Recommended Bet: Plymouth to lead at Half-time

Stoke will attempt to arrest their slide down the Championship table when they travel to Home Park to meet Plymouth Argyle on Saturday afternoon.

A 4-2 defeat at Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday extended their winless run to four games, which has seen the Potters plummet from 11th to 17th in the standings.

Three places further back and just six points above the relegation zone, Argyle are back under pressure after a disputed ball-out-of-play decision led to Coventry’s winner against them in midweek. 

Team news

Plymouth boss Steven Schumacher will resist the temptation to throw fit-again striker Ryan Hardie back into his starting line-up after the Scotsman missed the last four games because of a hamstring strain.

Hardie, who has scored six Championship goals for Argyle this season and was pushing for a first Scotland call-up prior to the injury, is likely to start on the bench alongside fellow returnee Mickel Miller.

The versatile Miller had been operating at left-back before he felt a groin problem in training a day before Plymouth’s recent 2-0 win over Sunderland.

Brendan Galloway, who has not started a game since April, is being eased back into the frame gently, so Joe Edwards could remain at left-back with Aston Villa loanee Kaine Kesler-Hayden on the right of a back four.

As for Stoke, on-loan Celtic forward Sead Haksabanovic remains sidelined by a pubic bone injury and manager Alex Neil has three other players missing through suspension.

Defender Enda Stevens was sent off for two bookable offences at QPR while midfielders Wouter Burger and Daniel Johnson both collected their fifth cautions of the campaign to incur one-match bans.

Jordan Thompson and Ki-Jana Hoever are pushing for recalls in place of Stevens with Josh Laurent the favourite to step in for Berger in midfield.

The stats

This will be the first league game between the clubs since Christmas 2007 when Richard Cresswell and Ryan Shawcross were on target for the Potters in a 2-2 Championship draw at Home Park.

Plymouth have not beaten Stoke in any of their last five meetings with Argyle last tasting victory in this fixture back in 2005.

Neil’s men are looking to avoid losing three successive league games for the first time since September.

Stoke have conceded seven goals in their last two league outings, one more than in their previous eight games.

And they will need to be wary of Argyle attacker Morgan Whittaker, who has scored seven goals and assisted three more in nine outings at Home Park, netting in each of his last three league matches there.

Prediction

In a very tight betting market, Plymouth’s recent home form probably just makes them appeal more than a Stoke side without a win in four.

The draw has to be a big consideration, but one aspect of the two clubs’ recent natures that should be noted is how they have been starting games.

Plymouth have scored the opener in six of their last seven at Home Park and in each case gone on to lead at the interval.

Stoke have not held a half-time advantage in any of their last four games and conceded the opener inside 12 minutes in each of their last two.

Recommended Bet: Back Plymouth to lead at Half-time @ 2/1 with LiveScore Bet

Win up to £250,000 with LiveScore 6!

Win up to £250,000 with our free-to-play game, LiveScore 6!

Predict the score of all six LiveScore 6 fixtures for your chance to win. 18+, UK/Ireland residents only, T&Cs apply.