Derby County vs Plymouth Argyle Prediction: Rooney faces another away defeat

Derby County picked up their first away win of the season on Wednesday night against Coventry City, and it had disastrous consequences for the Sky Blues as owner Doug King decided to part ways with the much-loved Mark Robins. For Paul Warne though, it represented an important stepping stone towards safety, and he will look to back it up with another three points here against a Plymouth side also fighting relegation. 

These two meet at Pride Park at 15:00 on Saturday afternoon and below you can find my Derby County vs Plymouth Argyle prediction. 

Team News

Derby manager Warne switched to a back three to match Coventry up in midweek, with Kayden Jackson filling in at right wing-back. After a strong performance, it will be interesting to see what the Derby boss does here. On home soil, he is likely to switch back to the 4-3-3 that has worked well so far this term, with Jerry Yates full of confidence having bagged another goal in midweek. 

Nathaniel Mendez-Laing should come into the team out wide on the left, with Jackson pushed into a more advanced role. Kane Wilson could feature in a reshuffled back line, but the gaffer will be delighted with the win in midweek, and will hope to attack a Plymouth outfit that have been awful on the road. 

Talking of Plymouth, Wayne Rooney’s side picked up a major three points at home to Portsmouth last time out. One goal was all they needed to see off John Mousinho’s men, and secure a vital win after a rough couple of weeks. Michael Obafemi grabbed the winner in that one and so he could be in line to start here ahead of Andre Gray up front. 

Other than that though, Rooney should name an unchanged team after a rare clean sheet and solid defensive display from his back four. Rami Al Hajj will be trusted to create chances in midfield as Plymouth look to pick up their first away win of the campaign. 

Derby County vs Plymouth Argyle Odds

Derby are priced at 8/13 to win this game, giving them a 61% chance of the win, with Plymouth available at 4/1. A draw can be backed at 16/5, over 2.5 goals is 4/5 and BTTS is the same price. Jerry Yates is the favourite to score first at 9/2. 

Derby County to win to nil @ 13/8

I know Argyle got the win over Pompey in midweek, but I cannot back them to get anything on the road. Given what we have seen so far, they are going to be in serious trouble this term, and will be completely reliant on their home form to keep them up. 

They’ve picked up just one point on the road so far, amazingly scoring just one goal and conceding 16 in the process. They are awful away from Home Park, and didn’t even have a shot against Leeds on their last away trip. Obviously Derby aren’t at the same level as Leeds, but they are on a high after a good performance on Wednesday night. They can secure a win plus a clean sheet. 

Jerry Yates to score anytime @ 6/4

Listen, I don’t think Yates is the greatest striker in the world but he is trusted by Warne implicitly. He capitalised on a poor Jack Rudoni back pass to round the goalkeeper and score, and that was in a game of limited opportunities for the Rams. At home to Plymouth, they should create plenty, and I’m happy to back Yates to get on the scoresheet. 

As I’ve already stated, Argyle have conceded 16 goals in just seven away trips so far, while they have let in 25 goals in total. Their defence fills me with zero confidence, so I’ll back Yates to take full advantage.

Acca Flex: Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 100% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down.

Place an In-Play single bet of £10 or more at odds of 1/2+ on any Premier League or Championship game on Friday or Saturday and get £5 in Free Bets to use In-Play on Sunday’s games. (Credited upon Bet Settlement)

You can read all our latest Football Betting Tips at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.