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

The Swans have struggled through a tough spell of fixtures over the past fortnight, whilst the Green Army are finding their feet following a number of high-profile departures.

Match preview

Swansea's winless run across the Championship and the FA Cup extended to four matches on Tuesday night, when league leaders Leicester City welcomed their visitors to the King Power Stadium and tore them apart, continuing Luke Williams's tricky start to life as the Welsh side's head coach.

Arsenal-linked Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall opened the scoring for Enzo Maresca's Foxes after just three minutes and the tone for the contest was firmly set, with Stephy Mavididi and Yunus Akgun both netting to make sure of the result in the second period, before Joe Allen bagged an added-time consolation in the East Midlands.

Apart from the two-goal success over League Two outfit Morecambe in the FA Cup on January 6, former Notts County boss Williams has failed to win any of his first five matches in charge of Swansea, who currently sit 17th in the Championship standings, eight points above Queens Park Rangers in 22nd.

Following the departure of flying Dutchman Joel Piroe to Leeds United during the summer transfer window, the Swans do not have a 20-goal-per-season striker within their ranks anymore, however the likes of Jerry Yates and Jamal Lowe are chipping in admirably, netting six second-tier goals each.

Williams's men have looked to bolster their attack during the January transfer window, bringing in Ronald Pereira and Charles Sagoe Jr, with the latter joining on loan from Premier League title chasers Arsenal for the remainder of the campaign, representing the 19=year-old's first-ever temporary switch into first-team football.

Plymouth's unbeaten start to life under new manager Ian Foster continued last Saturday afternoon at Elland Road, with the Green Army forcing Leeds United to settle for a fourth-round replay in the FA Cup following Adam Randell's equaliser in the second period in front of 35,000 supporters.

In the eight matches since Steven Schumacher packed his bags and departed for the challenge of managing second-tier rivals Stoke City, the Pilgrims have lost just once across all competitions, proving that the club can once again adapt despite key members of the organisation moving on.

Saturday's visitors currently occupy 15th position in the second-tier standings after collecting 33 points from 28 league contests, meaning they sit eight points ahead of Marti Cifuentes's QPR in the highest of the relegation places, yet a sizeable 11 points behind sixth-placed Coventry City.

Having seen fellow exciting youngsters such as Luke Cundle and Finn Azaz leave for Stoke and Middlesbrough respectively this month, Plymouth's talisman Morgan Whittaker is committed to the cause at Home Park, having netted four goals in his last five matches, totalling 15 Championship strikes so far.

Argyle's struggles on the road are well-documented - the Green Army have failed to win any of their first 14 away matches since their return to the Championship in August, with only six of their 33 second-tier points being earned away from their Devonshire base in 2023-24.

Swansea City Championship form:

L

D

W

D

L

L

Swansea City form (all competitions):

W

W

D

L

L

L

Plymouth Argyle Championship form:

D

D

L

D

D

W

Plymouth Argyle form (all competitions):

L

D

W

D

W

D

Team News

After conceding three goals at Leicester on Tuesday night, Swansea could make some changes to their backline, with Ben Cabango potentially partnering Nathan Wood, at the expense of Bashir Humphreys.

Harrison Ashby was replaced at half time at the King Power and is unlikely to feature from the start at the Swansea.com Stadium against Plymouth.

The Swans remain without the services of Josh Key (hamstring), Josh Ginnelly (muscle) and Liam Walsh (calf) until the middle of February at the earliest.

Plymouth handed a rare start to youngster Caleb Roberts in the cup clash at Leeds last weekend, although the 18-year-old is expected to drop down to the bench for this one.

Foster has adopted a back three in the early stages of his time at Home Park, meaning Dan Scarr, Brendan Galloway and January arrival Ashley Phillips should all start together in South Wales.

Argyle's first-choice goalkeeper Michael Cooper is out of action due to a knee injury sustained in December, so Conor Hazard will continue to deputise in between the sticks.

Swansea City possible starting lineup:

Rushworth; Darling, Wood, Cabango, Tymon; Pereira, Fulton, Grimes, Cullen; Yates, Paterson

Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup:

Hazard; Phillips, Scarr, Galloway; Mumba, Gyabi, Forshaw, Miller; Whittaker, Devine, Hardie

We say: Swansea City 1-1 Plymouth Argyle

Swansea have conceded 11 goals in their last three matches and will not be looking forward to facing the attacking threat of Whittaker on Saturday afternoon.

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