Form
Plymouth Argyle were relegated from the Championship last season, after finishing 23rd in the league on 46 points, three away from safety. Relegation ended Argyle’s two-year stay in the Championship, having won League One in 2023.
They currently sit 10th in the league, three places and two points behind Reading. Their recent form has been strong, having won five out of their last six league games. They come into this weekend’s game off the back of an impressive 0-3 away win against Wigan Athletic,
after two goals from Bim Pepple and one from Caleb Watts.
Their away form has been much stronger than their home, with Argyle picking up nine out of their 16 victories so far this season on the road. The two sides last met on Boxing Day, with Reading claiming a 1-4 away victory at Home Park, after two goals from Lewis Wing and one each from Kamari Doyle and Jack Marriott.
The boss
Tom Cleverley: Cleverley was appointed Plymouth head coach in June last year, taking over from Miron Muslic, who joined German side Schalke 04.
Cleverley had a 15-year career as a player, starting out at Manchester United, before also playing for Everton and Watford, where he made 181 appearances. Cleverley retired when at the Hornets and went onto take a coaching role with their under-18 side.
He was named interim head coach in 2024 after Valerien Ismael’s sacking and was given the job permanently almost two months later. He guided Watford to 15th- and 14th-placed finishes in the Championship, before he was sacked in May last year.
Cleverley was only out of work for a month before Plymouth offered him the head coach role. The 36-year-old has seen form pick up after a tough start to life in Devon, with his side now winning 21 of his 45 games in charge so far, giving a win percentage of 47%.
Cleverley likes his sides to play out from the back and is a strong developer of players.
Squad
Plymouth signed three players during the winter transfer window: one permanently and two on loan.
Their permanent signing was winger Ronan Curtis, who joined from fellow League One side Port Vale. Their two loans were defender Wes Harding, who joined from Championship Millwall, and midfielder Herbie Kane, who arrived from Huddersfield Town.
Argyle’s top scorer Lorent Tolaj will be out of this weekend’s game with a leg injury. Defender Matty Sorinola will also be absent, as will midfielder Joe Ralls, who is out for the season with a hamstring injury.
Predicted lineup
Ashby-Hammond, Edwards, Ross, Mitchell, MacKenzie, Curtis, Boateng, Kane, Dale, Watts, Pepple
Key player
27. Aribim Pepple: Striker Pepple joined Plymouth last summer, signing from Luton Town for an undisclosed fee.
He started his youth career in Canada and played first-team football for Calgary Foothills and Cavalry FC.
Pepple signed for Luton in 2022, but never made a first-team appearance for the Hatters, instead gaining first-team football in a number of loan spells. Those loan spells included stints at Grimsby Town, Bromley, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Southend United and Chesterfield.
Since signing for Plymouth, Pepple has made 33 appearances for the Pilgrims, scoring 14 goals. The 23-year-old is a hard-working striker who has really found an eye for goal this season, sitting second in their goalscoring charts behind the injured Tolaj.
One to watch
19. Malachi Boateng: Midfielder Boateng signed for Plymouth last February from Scottish Premier League side Hearts.
He started his career in the youth setup at Crystal Palace and was a regular in their under-23 side. While at Palace, Boateng spent time on loan in Scotland with Queens Park and Dundee.
These loan spells meant he was spotted by Hearts, who signed him on a permanent deal in August 2024. Boateng was only at Hearts for six months when the move back to England materialised, joining Plymouth for an undisclosed fee.
The 23-year-old has made 53 appearances for Argyle since joining and has 11 goal contributions to his name (three goals and eight assists). Standing at 6 foot 2, Boateng is a powerful and athletic defensive midfielder who likes a tackle.
