Norwich City vs Plymouth Argyle Prediction: Rooney’s away woes to continue

Norwich City have dropped down to 13th in the Championship table having failed to win any of their past seven games, but they did earn a creditable 2-2 draw with West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. Their next challenge comes at Carrow Road as Plymouth Argyle come to town on Tuesday night (19:45, Sky Sports+). 

Argyle scored yet another injury time equaliser on Friday, as Andre Gray came up with some late magic to rescue a 2-2 draw with Watford at Home Park. Now Wayne Rooney must turn his attention to fixing Argyle’s woeful away record, and below you can find my Norwich City vs Plymouth Argyle predictions featuring team news and betting tips. 

Team News

Angus Gunn and Jack Stacey returned to provide Johannes Hoff Thorup with a major boost at the weekend, and while Josh Sargent remains out, at least his Norwich team now contains a couple of senior pros. They will be without youngster Kellen Fischer who has picked up five yellow cards and is suspended, so Grant Hanley could play at centre-back, a move which would allow Callum Doyle to shift over to the left. 

Up front they are still slightly short, but a potential option could see Onel Hernandez start in the number nine role. Borja Sainz will play from the left and Ante Crnac is likely to be involved either centrally or from the right, but the Cuban’s physicality could make him the best option to lead the line. Kenny McLean is likely to provide a major boost to the midfield after his suspension, with Jacob Sorenson likely to make way to accommodate the Scottish international.

Plymouth Argyle striker Gray will look to add to the two goals he scored on Friday night, and he has been a brilliant addition to the squad since his arrival. However, Morgan Whittaker could miss this game having come off with an injury at Home Park, and he joins fellow attackings Ibrahim Cissoko and Muhamed Tijani in the treatment room. 

Callum Wright impressed off the bench having replaced Whittaker so I’d expect him to start here, while Michael Obafemi may be given another go behind Gray if Rooney sticks with his 3-4-2-1 system. Brandon Galloway and Joe Edwards remain out, as does goalkeeper Conor Hazard for the Pilgrims. 

Norwich City vs Plymouth Argyle Odds

Norwich are priced at 1/2 to win this game, which gives them an implied win probability of 66%. Plymouth can be backed at 11/2, while a draw is available at 7/2. Over 2.5 goals is 8/15, BTTS is 4/6 and Borja Sainz is the favourite to score first at 4/1. 

Norwich City to win -1 @ 6/5

I’ve got to back the home side here, especially now that their senior heads are returning to strengthen the side. Sargent is still going to be a big miss, but Norwich should be able to find a way to score against this Plymouth defence even in his absence. Argyle have won zero, drawn two and lost six of their eight away matches to date, scoring just twice and conceding 17 goals on the road already. 

If they are going to stay up this season, it will be because of their form at Home Park, and a long trip to Norfolk in midweek is the last thing they will want right now. Rooney hasn’t been able to stop the stream of goals on the road this term, and Argyle haven’t been able to be the same fluid side away from Devon, for one reason or another. With Whittaker now looking likely to miss this one as well, all signs point towards a comfortable home win. 

Borja Sainz to score anytime @ 11/10

11 goals in 16 Championship matches is some record for Sainz this term. Sargent’s absence has seen his goal return suffer slightly and he has now gone three matches in a row without finding the net, but I think he can get back into his groove against a leaky Plymouth defence. 

His movement is terrific while he must now step up to the plate and produce given the lack of other attacking options available to Thorup. However, I think he will be helped by the return of McLean into the midfield, as he releases other players in the middle to get further forward in support of the front three. Sainz needs that support, but he is also capable of scoring a wondergoal from long range. It’s unusual that he has gone three games without a goal, and I think it is unlikely that record stretches to four games. 

Offers

Place an In-Play single bet of £10 or more at odds of 1/2+ on any Champions League or Championship game on Tuesday and get £5 in Free Bets to use In-Play on Wednesday’s games

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.

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