Plymouth Argyle will welcome Hull City to Home Park on Saturday in the final round of regular-season fixtures in a meeting of major importance in the fights at both ends of the Championship table.
The hosts need a victory to guarantee their survival in England's second tier, while their visitors trail the final playoff place by two points.
Match preview
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Plymouth Argyle return to Home Park for the final game of the Championship season on Saturday with the aim of confirming their survival, having seen their lead over the drop zone cut in recent weeks.
On their return to England's second tier after winning promotion from League One last term, the Pilgrims have experienced a tough campaign but looked set to finish clear of the bottom three thanks to an improved run under the temporary stewardship of Neil Dewsnip, who stepped into the hot seat in early April following Ian Foster's departure.
Following a six-match winless run which produced just one draw alongside five defeats, Dewsnip was able to inspire a crucial upturn in form as the Devon outfit went on to pick up 1-0 victories over basement side Rotherham United and league leaders Leicester City either side of a draw with Queens Park Rangers, but they have since been dragged back into the fight by back-to-back defeats in their last two outings.
Aiming to make it four games unbeaten and move out of reach in the battle for survival, the Pilgrims then visited Stoke City for a true six-pointer but fell well short against former boss Steven Schumacher, suffering a 3-0 defeat before most recently meeting Millwall at The Den last Saturday and again leaving empty-handed as Jake Cooper netted the only goal in the final 10 minutes to deny them a share of the spoils.
As a result of those consecutive losses in the final run-in, Plymouth Argyle head into the final day in 21st spot with just a one-point lead over Birmingham City in the drop zone, and they will be desperate to guarantee their safety and book a second straight Championship term with a 13th league win of the season on Saturday.
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That will be no easy task, though, as the visitors arrive hoping to keep any faint playoff hopes alive with a crucial win of their own at Home Park.
In what has been a much-improved season under the tutelage of Liam Rosenior, Hull City looked all but out of the Championship top-six fight at the beginning of April, as a six-game winless run left them on 58 points from 39 outings, but they have since narrowed the gap to sixth-placed West Bromwich Albion with a crucial return to form.
Indeed, the Tigers are now unbeaten in their last six attempts, collecting 12 points along the way having picked up victories over Cardiff City, Queens Park Rangers and Coventry City last month before most recently hosting second-placed Ipswich Town in another crucial contest on Saturday.
Rosenior's men fell behind on three occasions in that meeting with the promotion-chasers at the MKM Stadium, but they twice levelled through Ozan Tufan and Liam Delap before Noah Ohio popped up with the decisive equaliser three minutes from time to force a share of the spoils.
Thanks to that upturn in form, and with West Bromwich Albion having suffered three defeats on the bounce, Hull City find themselves still with an outside chance of taking the Championship's final playoff place, and they head to Home Park knowing only a victory will be sufficient while hoping the Baggies slip up again in their pursuit of sixth spot and shot at a return to the Premier League.
Team News
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Plymouth Argyle remain without Mickel Miller heading into the final day, meaning Brendan Galloway should continue in a left wing-back role, while Julio Pleguezuelo will hope to earn a spot in a back three after Lewis Gibson, Dan Scarr and Ashley Phillips were preferred for their trip to Millwall.
Midfielder Adam Forshaw and attacker Ryan Hardie will also compete to come in from the outset, with the former hoping to join Adam Randell in the engine room while the latter may lead the line in a 3-4-3 setup having notched up 12 league goals this term.
It is winger Morgan Whittaker who has been the Pilgrims' star man going forward, though, and he will bid to add to his tallies of 19 goals and eight assists in England's second tier which have kept his side above the drop zone.
Hull City's injury concerns have eased somewhat recently, but they do remain without winger Anass Zaroury heading into Saturday's trip to Home Park.
Liam Rosenior still has plenty of options in attack, though, with Noah Ohio fighting to come in and lead the line from the start after his equaliser off the bench against Ipswich Town last time out, while Ozan Tufan, Fabio Carvalho and Jaden Philogene remain key men having notched up 10, nine and 12 goals respectively so far this term.
Elsewhere, Jean-Michael Seri and Liverpool loanee Tyler Morton are mainstays at the base of the midfield, while Alfie Jones will again join key man Jacob Greaves in the middle of the back four.
Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup:
Cooper; Phillips, Scarr, Gibson; Mumba, Randell, Forshaw, Galloway; Whittaker, Hardie, Bundu
Hull City possible starting lineup:
Allsop; Slater, Jones, Greaves, Jacob; Morton, Seri; Carvalho, Tufan, Philogene; Ohio
We say: Plymouth Argyle 0-2 Hull City
With momentum on their side and more quality throughout their squad, we back Hull City to pick up a crucial away victory on the final day, leaving their playoff hopes hanging on a defeat for West Bromwich Albion.
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Sam Varley
