Plymouth vs Stoke Prediction: Koumas can strike again

Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth Argyle are still searching for their first league win of the season and they host Stoke City at Home Park on Saturday (15:00). The Pilgrims have picked up two creditable points against QPR and Hull, but they were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Watford last time out.
Below you can find my Plymouth vs Stoke prediction, with betting tips and team news.
Team News
Adam Forshaw is back from his suspension having missed the Carabao Cup game in midweek, while Ryan Hardie should return to lead the line having been rested at Vicarage Road. Morgan Whittaker is still subject to transfer interest but will play if he is still at the club, while Michael Obafemi could be used as an option from the bench having played 90 minutes against Watford.
Meanwhile, Steven Schumacher may choose to reward a few of his midweek stars with starts, as Andrew Moran, Emre Tezgel and Ryan Mmaee all impressed in the 5-0 win over Boro. Bae Jun-ho may have to settle for a spot on the bench, with Lewis Koumas looking like the key man for the Potters already.
Plymouth are priced at 2/1 to win this game, with Stoke available at 21/20 for all three points. A draw can be backed at 5/2, over 2.5 goals is 4/6 and BTTS is 4/7.
Draw @ 5/2
I can’t quite separate these two. Plymouth have earned two draws already in very different circumstances, and they have responded to that opening day hammering at Hillsborough reasonably well. But, they are still one of the weakest sides in the division so I’m not going to back them to get all three points.
However, Stoke have also been hit-and-miss and do not leave me convinced. They hammered Boro in midweek but I won’t get too carried away by that result given the changes that were made on both sides and before that they were beaten by Watford and West Brom. I think we will see a draw in Devon.
Lewis Koumas to score first in a 1-1 draw @ 40/1
Koumas seems like the real deal. On loan from Liverpool, the son of former footballer Jason has already scored twice for the Potters, including one against West Brom in his last league outing. He should start up front here and I’m happy to back him to make it three goals in his last three games in this one.
I think we are getting great odds on him to score first, but if we throw in a cheeky 1-1 correct scoreline, then we are offered a huge price of 40/1, something I am keen to take advantage of given the state of both sides right now. A long-shot, but one that is worth considering for me.
Offers
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