An exciting encounter could be on the cards as Plymouth Argyle host Southampton in a Championship fixture on Saturday. This has all the makings of a thriller and with both teams looking sharp going forward early in the season, goals can be expected here.
Plymouth Argyle appear to be on an upward curve and their early showings in the Championship are testament to that. They earned an impressive 101 points in League One last season and four points from two meetings with Huddersfield Town and Watford is a solid enough start to life in the second tier.
The Pilgrims began their campaign with a 3-1 victory over Huddersfield Town in their opening fixture. The followed that up with a 0-0 draw at Watford in their second outing and that clean sheet will be particularly pleasing to manager Steven Schumacher.
In between both fixtures was a 2-0 victory over Leyton Orient in the EFL Cup. That result is an extension of the superb home form that helped Plymouth Argyle dominate League One and they are currently on a five match winning run at Home Park.
Southampton travel to Home Park off the back of a thrilling 4-4 draw with Norwich City in their previous Championship fixture. Adam Armstrong netted a brace of penalties while Che Adams and Adam Armstrong were also on target in a topsy-turvy encounter with several lead changes.
It has been an eventful week at Southampton with the departures of long-serving midfielder James Ward Prowse and promising talent Romeo Lavia. However, manager Russell Martin will be confident in his squad with Armstong and Adams already impressing.
While Southampton have looked sharp in attack, one worrying thing for the manager will be their leaky defence. They have conceded in every game played this season, letting in eight goals in just three fixtures across all competitions.
How the bookies view it
Southampton have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 19/20 by 10bet to claim the win. A victory for Plymouth Argyle is valued at 29/10 by BetVictor while Unibet is offering odds of 14/5 for a draw.
Recent Head to Head
Southampton hold a 4-2 advantage with four draws from10 previous matches against Plymouth Argyle. The last meeting between both teams was a League One clash in 2011 which ended 1-0 in favour of the Saints.
Players to watch
Morgan Whittaker was easily one of Plymouth Argyle's best players last year as his nine goals and seven assists powered their promotion charge. The English midfielder is already off the mark this season and bet365 backs him to add to his tally at 15/4.
Adam Armstrong is enjoying a fine start to life in the Championship, already hitting the back of the net three times so far. The English striker could be worth keeping an eye on to maintain his scoring run at 2/1 with William Hill.
Anything else catch the eye?
There have been over 3.5 goals in Southampton’s last two matches and a similar outcome is priced at 21/10 by Unibet. Over 2.5 goals can also be considered at 8/11 by Paddy Power while William Hill is offering odds of 7/10 on both teams to score.
Southampton have seen more goals after the break in their matches so far, so the second half can be tipped as the highest scoring half at evens with bet365.
This England Championship match between Plymouth Argyle and Southampton will be played on Aug 19, 2023 and kick off at 12:30. Check below for our tipsters best Plymouth Argyle vs Southampton prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
