Preview: Plymouth Argyle vs. Watford - prediction, team news, lineups

Plymouth will enter the contest off the back of a 2-1 defeat at Southampton, while Watford drew 1-1 with Stoke City in their last game in the second tier of English football.

Match preview

Plymouth are believed to be working towards having a new manager in place for the FA Cup third-round contest with Sutton United on January 6, so this could be interim head coach Neil Dewsnip's last game at the helm.

Dewsnip, who is the team's director of football, has been in charge since the departure of previous manager Steven Schumacher to Stoke City on December 19.

The Pilgrims, who are the reigning League One champions, have played three times since Schumacher's departure, drawing with both Birmingham City and Cardiff City before suffering a 2-1 defeat at Southampton on Friday, with the result leaving them in 18th position in the table.

Plymouth have won seven, drawn seven and lost 11 of their 25 Championship matches this season to collect 28 points, which has left them seven points clear of the relegation zone heading into the next set of fixtures.

The Devon outfit played out a 0-0 draw with Watford in the reverse match earlier this season, but they suffered a 1-0 defeat when the two teams last locked horns at Home Park in September 2009.

Watford, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a 1-1 draw with Stoke on Friday; Jake Livermore sent the Hornets ahead in the 15th minute, before Ryan Mmaee levelled the scores in the 34th minute.

Valerien Ismael's side have won nine, drawn eight and lost eight of their 25 Championship matches this season to collect 35 points, which has left them in 10th spot in the table, only four points off the playoffs.

Watford finished 11th in the second tier last season following their relegation from the Premier League, but they have not spent three straight seasons in the Championship since 2015.

The Hornets have picked up 15 points from their 11 away league matches this season courtesy of a record of four wins, three draws and four defeats.

Ismael's team will be taking on a Plymouth side with the sixth-best home record in the division this term, though, with the Pilgrims winning seven, drawing two and losing three of their 12 games in front of their own fans, with all of their league victories this term coming on home soil.

Plymouth Argyle Championship form:

L

D

W

D

D

L

Watford Championship form:

D

L

W

W

L

D

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Team News

Plymouth were missing Saxon Earley and Michael Cooper through injury against Southampton and that is again expected to be the case for the clash with Watford on Monday.

The home side did not pick up any fresh problems in their loss to the Saints, though, and due to the manner of the performance, it is expected to be largely the same group of players from the first whistle.

The only alteration could come in the final third of the field, with Ryan Hardie, who scored off the bench at St Mary's, potentially being given the nod over Ben Waine.

As for Watford, Jamal Lewis remains unavailable for selection due to a hamstring problem, with the on-loan Newcastle United defender expected to be out until the end of next month.

The Hornets will also be unable to call upon Vakoun Issouf Bayo due to the red card that he was handed in the early stages of the second half against Stoke last time out.

Mileta Rajovic should therefore be introduced in the final third of the field, with the 24-year-old bidding to add to the eight Championship goals that he has already managed this season.

Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup:

Hazard; Edwards, Pleguezuelo, Gibson, Galloway, Mumba; Whittaker, Houghton, Randell, Azaz; Hardie

Watford possible starting lineup:

Hamer; Dele-Bashiru, Porteous, Hoedt, Morris; Martins, Chakvetadze, Livermore, Kone, Asprilla; Rajovic

We say: Plymouth Argyle 1-1 Watford

Plymouth's home form this season has been excellent, but Watford have lost just four of their 11 matches on their travels, so we are finding it difficult to separate the two sides here. A draw would not be the worst result for either team on Monday, and we are predicting a 1-1 in this contest.

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