Football News

Plymouth Argyle v Luton Town match preview: Who will prevail at Home Park?

By Andrew Francis

Published: 13:04, 25 September 2024

Luton Town are seeking a third successive Championship victory when they make the trip to Home Park to take on Plymouth Argyle on Friday, September 27th.

Plymouth slipped to a 4-0 loss at Sheffield Wednesday in the opening round of fixtures but have improved since that limp display. Luton managed just one point from their first four games but back-to-back wins have given them a platform to build on as they bid to bounce back after relegation last season.

Friday’s Championship fixture is scheduled to kick off at 20:00 BST and will be broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Ultra HDR.

Home results key for Pilgrims

After going down 4-0 at Hillsborough in the first round of fixtures, questions were immediately asked as to whether Plymouth had made the right move in appointing England legend Wayne Rooney as their new boss over the summer.

Argyle have improved dramatically since that hammering, however, with draws against Hull and QPR before they claimed a first win of the season by seeing off promotion hopefuls Sunderland 3-2 at Home Park.

The Pilgrims went down 1-0 at West Brom last time out but gave a good account of themselves in that loss to the league leaders, creating a few opportunities before Albion grabbed what proved to be the winner just after the hour mark. 

Last season, it was Plymouth’s results at home that ultimately proved crucial in avoiding a quick return to League One and their hopes this term probably hinge on whether they can make the most of their home games.

Luton initially struggled after dropping back down to the second tier after one season in the Premier League but wins over Millwall and Wednesday mean that victory on Friday would see them move to within a point of Leeds in sixth, before the rest of the fixtures take place over the weekend.

Tip 1: Plymouth to win – 29/10 with bet365

Plymouth are the clear underdogs in this match-up and at a big price the hosts have to be worth real consideration.

Luton may come into the game after consecutive wins but those came against teams who will probably end up in the bottom half of the table and both games were close. Indeed, the Hatters were perhaps fortunate to leave The Den with all three points and that level of performance might not be enough to get a result at Plymouth.

The Pilgrims have a right to feel hard done by after leaving the Hawthorns with nothing to show for their efforts, but they can still build on their win over Sunderland. Argyle have won four of their last six competitive home games stretching into last season and have lost just one of their last seven, and they can pull off a minor upset by winning on Friday. 

Tip 2: Morgan Whittaker anytime goalscorer – 11/5 with bet365

Plymouth’s Morgan Whittaker hit 19 goals in 46 Championship games last season but hasn’t managed to hit those heights yet this term, with one strike in six appearances. The 23-year-old has still been getting plenty of chances and averages a solid 3.8 shots per game, and at 11/5 he looks a good candidate for an anytime effort.