Burkina Faso
Friendly Games
Indonesia
Lithuania
Montenegro
Nigeria
North Macedonia

Plymouthvs.Cardiff

sportsmole.co.uk, 20 February 2025, 16:56
Two relegation rivals will face off when Plymouth Argyle welcome Cardiff City to Home Park for Saturday's Championship encounter.

The Pilgrims are languishing in 23rd place in the Championship table, while the Bluebirds will head into the weekend in 20th position.

Match preview

Plymouth may be battling to preserve their Championship status, but they have proven to be a tough team to beat in recent weeks, having won three, drawn two and lost one of their last six competitive matches.

After playing out a 2-2 away draw against Sunderland, the Pilgrims went on to record three consecutive home victories, beating West Bromwich Albion and Millwall either side of a memorable 1-0 win over Liverpool in the FA Cup fourth round.

Unfortunately for Plymouth, they have been unable to carry that winning run onto their travels, falling to a 2-0 defeat against Blackburn Rovers before they took a point from Wednesday's meeting with basement side Luton Town.

Maksym Taloverov cancelled out Luton's 55th-minute opener with his first goal since joining the club in January, ensuring that his side left Kenilworth Road with a hard-earned point.

However, as a result of the 1-1 draw, Plymouth have now gone 19 away league matches without a win since beating Rotherham United in April 2024, highlighting one of the main issues behind the club's current predicament.

Plymouth, who are one point adrift of safety, will look forward to returning to Home Park as they look to produce a repeat of the 3-1 victory that they picked up in last season's home meeting with Cardiff.

Cardiff are sitting three points above the drop zone after winning seven, drawing 11 and losing 14 of their 32 Championship matches this season.

The Bluebirds have taken just one point from three matches since they recorded their most recent victory in a home meeting with Derby County on January 25.

They followed that win with a heavy 7-0 defeat against Leeds United at Elland Road, before they fell to a 2-1 loss in their away clash against Portsmouth.

Cardiff at least managed to avoid a third consecutive defeat in last Saturday's Severnside derby against Bristol City, with Yousef Salech netting a 90th-minute equaliser to cancel out Jason Knight's opener at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Salech's third goal since joining the club in the January transfer window maintained Cardiff's unbeaten home record in 2025 (W2, D3).

In contrast, the Bluebirds have failed to win any of their four Championship away games in the calendar year (D2, L2), which may dampen their hopes of completing their first league double over Plymouth since 1948-49 after cruising to a 5-0 victory in October's reverse fixture.

Plymouth Argyle Championship form:

L

D

W

W

L

D

Plymouth Argyle form (all competitions):

D

W

W

W

L

D

Cardiff City Championship form:

W

D

W

L

L

D

Cardiff City form (all competitions):

D

W

L

W

L

D

Team News

Plymouth will be unable to call upon the services of defender Brendan Galloway and captain Joe Edwards due to leg and hamstring injuries respectively.

Forward Ryan Hardie will have to be assessed after he was forced to sit out the midweek draw against Luton with a back issue.

Mustapha Bundu is set to lead the line for the hosts, with the Sierra Leone international looking to add to the four goals and three assists that he has registered in the Championship this season.

As for the Bluebirds, they are expected to be without David Turnbull, Alex Robertson, Ollie Tanner and Jesper Daland.

Captain Joe Ralls is a doubt for Saturday's away trip after he missed the 1-1 draw against Bristol City with a groin injury.

Cardiff boss Omer Riza could be tempted to make changes to his side, with Aaron Ramsey, Chris Willock and Salech among those who may be considered for a starting berth.

Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup:

Hazard; Talovierov, Katic, Palsson; Sorinola, Randell, Houghton, Puchacz; Wright, Al Hajj; Bundu

Cardiff City possible starting lineup:

Alnwick; Ng, Goutas, Bagan, O'Dowda; Ramsey, Mannsverk; El Ghazi, Colwill, Willock; Salech

We say: Plymouth Argyle 2-1 Cardiff City

Plymouth have put together a three-game winning run at Home Park, and we think that they will continue their impressive form on home turf by claiming a narrow victory over a Cardiff side that have lost their last two away matches.

Written by

Ben Sully

Previews by email
Show more

Top News

10 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta must take one particular lesson from Liverpool counterpart Arne Slot as the pair prepare to meet in Sunday's headline Premier League battle at Anfield. 10 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Fabian Hurzeler's Brighton & Hove Albion took one step closer to a top-half finish in the Premier League by beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 at Molineux on Saturday afternoon. 10 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have confirmed their squad for Sunday's La Liga clash against Barcelona, with Rodrygo returning following an illness, but six players are on the sidelines through injuries. 10 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have experienced more success against the best sides with Luis Diaz starting as a number nine, and he has done enough to have earned his place against Arsenal, Reds expert David Lynch has argued. 10 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Cristiano Ronaldo could reportedly complete a spectacular return to Sporting Lisbon this summer, with the legendary forward viewed as a potential replacement for Viktor Gyokeres. 10 May 2025 talksport.com Celtic legend Scott Brown has raised question marks over his own managerial future at Ayr United after their promotion hopes were ended. 10 May 2025 talksport.com Gary Lineker has detailed his job offers from television companies as he prepares to leave Match of the Day. 10 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Brentford emerged as 1-0 victors against Ipswich Town on Saturday afternoon at Portman Road in the Premier League, keeping their European hopes alive. 10 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Everton came from behind to record a 3-1 victory over Fulham in Saturday afternoon's Premier League contest at Craven Cottage. 10 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City missed the chance to move level on points with second-placed Arsenal as they were held to a goalless draw by a spirited Southampton side at St Mary's in the Premier League. 10 May 2025 talksport.com Mikel Arteta loves unusual methods to get ahead of his rivals, so there's no doubt at all the Arsenal manager is all over AI. 10 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk A top-of-the-table clash with nothing serious at stake for the league leaders, Liverpool host Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday afternoon, in the main event of Premier League gameweek 36. 10 May 2025 talksport.com Chelsea have become the first Women's Super League team to go unbeaten across a 22-game season. 10 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Bournemouth and Aston Villa have announced their starting lineups for Saturday's Premier League game. 10 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City could reportedly be handed a boost in their Morgan Gibbs-White transfer mission by Liverpool, as Nottingham Forest have identified a Reds man as a possible successor to the Englishman. 10 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has branded Xabi Alonso "one of the best in the world" amid suggestions that the Bayer Leverkusen manager is heading for Bernabeu. 10 May 2025 talksport.com Mohamed Salah has admitted there was 'tension' between himself and Sadio Mane during their spell together at Liverpool. 10 May 2025 talksport.com Kevin De Bruyne and Virgil van Dijk have been rivals for years - but only on the pitch. 10 May 2025 talksport.com Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has admitted the Europa League final will come too soon for injured Lucas Bergvall. 10 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly prepared to table a €60m (£51m) offer to sign Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. 10 May 2025 talksport.com Leyton Orient opened the scoring in their League One play-off semi-final clash against Stockport County with a contentious goal. 10 May 2025 talksport.com While league football might not have the late drama that the Champions League boasts, in Portugal things are about to step up to a whole new level. 10 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Anthony Gordon could feature from the off in a Premier League game for the first time since February 26 when Newcastle United host Chelsea at St James' Park on Sunday. 10 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Separated by one place in the Premier League table, Champions League-chasing Newcastle United host Chelsea in Sunday's gameweek 36 lunchtime contest at St James' Park, seeking to land a significant blow on the Blues' ambition to return to Europe's premier club competition after a two-season absence. 10 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk A changing of the guard will soon occur in the Arsenal midfield, as the Gunners are now said to have reached a verbal agreement to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad this summer. 10 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Two teams battling for a precious top-four finish will meet in Bergamo on Monday, as Atalanta BC play host to Serie A's form side Roma. 10 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea have reportedly opened talks over a potential move to sign AC Milan attacker Rafael Leao. 10 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou is "half hopeful" that Son Heung-min will return from a foot injury in time for Sunday's Premier League London derby with Crystal Palace. 10 May 2025 talksport.com Martin Zubimendi has verbally agreed personal terms with Arsenal on a long-term deal, talkSPORT understands. 10 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have reportedly identified Athletic Bilbao midfielder Mikel Jauregizar as a top target for the summer transfer window.