Plymouth Argyle host Derby County in League One on Tuesday night.
Plymouth Argyle managed to return to winning ways last time out, bouncing back from their heavy defeat to Peterborough United with a 2-0 victory against Charlton Athletic.
It means the gap to leaders Sheffield Wednesday remains at three points, though the Owls boast a game in hand. As for Ipswich Town, their three-game winning streak has seen them cut the gap to Plymouth to five points after dropping away initially.
As for Derby County, their imperious form has turned somewhat patchy over recent weeks, seemingly ending any already faint hopes of a surprise charge for the automatic spots.
Paul Warne’s side were held to play-off outsiders Shrewsbury Town at the weekend, playing out a 2-2 draw.
Now, ahead of Tuesday’s clash, a handful of our writers have made their score predictions…
James Ray
“Away to fellow play-off hopefuls, Derby have had some tough results of late. They were easily overcome by Barnsley and fell to a 3-2 loss to Wycombe Wanderers prior to that, and with Plymouth so strong at home, I can see the hosts taking this one.
“It is absolutely pivotal that the Pilgrims stay on track. Wednesday have started to pull away at the top and with Ipswich back in their stride, they can’t afford to slip up anymore if they’re to make an automatic rise to the Championship.
“This could be a tough tie though. I can see goals in this one, but the edge has to go to the hosts.”
Score prediction: Plymouth Argyle 3-2 Derby County
Luke Phelps
“I thought Plymouth would lose a bit of speed after the turn of the year, but they’ve putting points on the board and quickly building a steady gap between themselves and Ipswich Town.
“And whilst Plymouth seem to have come out of their inconsistent patch, Derby County look as though they’re currently in theirs. Still, the Rams have had a tough run of fixtures of late and so a few draws and losses is understandable, but it doesn’t bode well for them ahead of this one.
“I’m going to back Plymouth for a narrow win.”
Score prediction: Plymouth Argyle 1-0 Derby County
