Plymouth vs West Brom Prediction: Albion need to improve their away form

Plymouth Argyle dug deep to collect an impressive away point at promotion-chasing Sunderland last weekend. On Saturday (12:30, Sky Sports+), they return to Home Park as they play host to West Bromwich Albion.

The Baggies head to Devon off the back of a 5-1 thrashing of Portsmouth on home turf, but their away form has been troublesome of late. Check out my Plymouth vs West Brom prediction, where you will also find the latest match odds and team news.

Plymouth vs West Brom Odds

Plymouth are without a win in their last seven home games in the Championship. They are 4/1 to pick up the three points on Saturday.

Three of their last five at Home Park have ended in stalemates, while Albion have drawn two of their previous four away trips in the second tier. It's 11/4 (which has an implied probability of 26.7%) for the two teams to share the spoils.

West Brom are winless on their travels since November 10 but they are 7/10 to best the Pilgrims. Both teams to score has been a successful bet in five of Albion's last five away fixtures in the league, and you can back this selection at 10/11 this time around.

Football Odds

Team News

Plymouth's defensive options are limited, which is not ideal as they bid to maintain their Championship status. Brendan Galloway has undergone hip surgery and he will not feature for the remainder of the campaign.

Joe Edwards and Kornel Szucs are fighting hamstring and muscle problems respectively, so boss Miron Muslic cannot afford any more losses within his defensive ranks.

The head coach has dipped into the transfer market to strengthen his centre-back options, with Ukraine international Maksym Talovierov joining the club on a permanent deal from LASK on Friday, and he will be eligible to make his debut this weekend.

Nathanael Ogbeta might be under consideration to feature in defence after coming off the bench to snatch Plymouth's late equaliser against Sunderland.

Exciting winger Ibrahim Cissoko was an unused substitute against the Black Cats, and was one of the Pilgrims' better performers earlier in the campaign before an injury lay-off.

Reports this week are suggesting he could be set to have his loan spell ended by parent club Toulouse, and the wide man could end up joining a Championship rival for the remainder of the campaign.

It seemed like forward Ryan Hardie was headed for the exit door this month as he was not favoured by former boss Wayne Rooney, but it appears that Muslic is a fan as the front man has started the three league matches the Bosnian-born coach has overseen.

West Brom's Golden Boot contender Josh Maja (12 goals) remains sidelined with a leg injury which required surgery. Daryl Dike is working his way back up to full fitness following an Achilles rupture 11 months ago.

Key defender Kyle Bartley is set to return to the squad on Saturday following a calf problem. Fellow centre-back Semi Ajayi has been out of action since October with a hamstring issue, but it is reported that the Nigerian is not too far away from being available.

Despite having recognised forwards in Karlan Grant and Devante Cole, Tony Mowbray deployed Jed Wallace and Grady Diangana as an attacking pairing last time out, and this duo may continue at Plymouth following the five-goal showing.

Draw or West Brom and both teams to score @ 23/20

Plymouth will have taken great pride in their display at Sunderland and they will look to channel that into their performance against Albion on Saturday. They are without a win on home turf since November 5, so it will be tough for Muslic to suddenly make Argyle a winning force at Home Park.

They will believe they will have an opportunity to collect three points against West Brom, who have failed to win on their travels since November 10. However, there were a lot of positives from Albion's 5-1 victory over Portsmouth at The Hawthorns, and another week on the training ground with Mowbray should benefit the visiting players.

I'm expecting a better showing from Plymouth here than we saw in their recent home defeats to Queens Park Rangers and Burnley, but I'm not confident that they will able to beat a promotion contender in West Brom.

Mowbray has work to do for his side to yield more victories on the road, but they have a real shot at landing three points on Saturday against the worst defence in the Football League (62 goals conceded).

Although, I think the Pilgrims could provide them with a similar test to which Sunderland received last time out, and I think it best to have the insurance of a draw when covering an Albion win.

The odds have also been boosted by combining both teams to score, which has struck in five of West Brom's last seven trips in the second tier.

Grady Diangana anytime goalscorer @ 2/1

There has been much speculation over Diangana's future at West Brom in recent weeks. The attacker is thought to be desiring a move closer to home in London as he enters the final months of his contract.

He has reportedly rejected fresh terms at The Hawthorns, so a transfer in the final days of the window can't be ruled out. I'm expecting him to feature in the team at Plymouth, though, as Mowbray has spoken highly of him, and it doesn't feel like the former West Ham United man is getting distracted by the current situation.

Diangana has three goals in as many Championship matches heading into this clash, and he is playing with great confidence at the moment. It may also be a tactic of his to try and impress potential suitors down south for a move in the coming days, or in the summer.

I believe he will play a key role in Devon, and I fancy him to get on the scoresheet again.

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