Plymouthvs.Oxford Utd

Plymouth are rock bottom of the Championship table, picking up only 20 points from their opening 25 matches of the season, while Oxford are 17th, five points ahead of the relegation zone in England's second tier.

Match preview

Muslic was confirmed as Wayne Rooney's replacement at Plymouth on Friday, with the Bosnian signing a three-and-a-half-year deal at Home Park, and he has arrived at the club after a two-year spell in charge of Cercle Brugge.

The Pilgrims have a record of four wins, eight draws and 13 defeats from their 25 Championship matches this season, which has left them bottom of the division on 20 points, three points behind 21st-placed Portsmouth.

Plymouth have the worst defensive record in the Championship this season, conceding 53 times, while they have the joint-worst attacking record, finding the back of the net on only 24 occasions.

Muslic was in the stands for Plymouth's FA Cup fixture with Brentford on Saturday, and he would have been delighted with his side's performance in their 1-0 success over the Premier League outfit.

The Greens are unbeaten in their last two league games, meanwhile, drawing with both Bristol City and Stoke City, but they are without a victory in the second tier of English football since a 1-0 home triumph over Portsmouth on November 5.

Oxford United, meanwhile, will enter the match off the back of a surprise 3-1 loss to Exeter City in the third round of the FA Cup, so their journey in this season's competition is already over.

Gary Rowett's side will bring a four-game unbeaten run in the Championship into this contest, beating Cardiff City, Plymouth and Millwall before drawing 1-1 with Preston North End.

The U's, who were promoted from League One last term, are currently 17th in England's second tier, picking up 28 points from 25 matches courtesy of a record of seven wins, seven draws and 11 defeats.

Oxford United are only five points outside of the relegation zone, so they are far from comfortable at this stage of proceedings.

The U's have also lost four of their last five league games against Plymouth, but they did record a 2-0 victory when the two sides locked horns at the end of December, with Ciaron Brown and Przemyslaw Placheta on the scoresheet.

Plymouth Argyle Championship form:

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D

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L

D

D

Plymouth Argyle form (all competitions):

D

L

L

D

D

W

Oxford United Championship form:

L

L

W

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D

Oxford United form (all competitions):

L

W

W

W

D

L

Team News

Plymouth will be without the services of Mustapha Bundu, Joe Edwards, Muhamed Tijani, Ryan Hardie and Joe Hatch for this contest, but no fresh issues have been reported from the clash with Brentford in the FA Cup.

Michael Obafemi was not involved against Brentford, but he led the line against Stoke in the Championship last time out, and the forward is likely to be in the starting XI on Tuesday night.

Morgan Whittaker has three goals and one assist in 18 Championship appearances this season, and he will be another notable starter for the division's basement side here.

As for Oxford United, Max Woltman and Ben Nelson will miss the match due to injury problems, but the visitors are otherwise in strong shape in terms of fitness issues.

Head coach Rowett will make changes to the side that started in the FA Cup against Exeter, but he will be unable to select Tyler Goodrham, who is suspended after his red card in the cup fixture.

Ruben Rodrigues was an unused substitute on Saturday, but he will be back as the number 10 on Tuesday night, while Mark Harris, who has five Championship goals to his name this term, will lead the line.

Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup:

Hazard; Szucs, Pleguezuelo, Galloway; Sorinola, Gyabi, Randell, Mumba; Whittaker, Obafemi, Al Hajj

Oxford United possible starting lineup:

Cumming; Kioso, Long, Brown, Leigh; Vaulks, Brannigan; Phillips, Rodrigues, Sibley; Harris

We say: Plymouth Argyle 1-1 Oxford United

Oxford United have the third-worst away record in the Championship this season, while Plymouth have picked up 17 points from their 11 matches in front of their own fans; it would not be a surprise to see a home win here, but we believe that a tight game will finish all square.

Written by

Matt Law

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