Plymouth Argyle vs Leeds United: Five key battles and score prediction
The final day of another frankly remarkable Championship campaign is upon us and Leeds United travel to Home Park for a matchup with title consequences and relegation confirmation on the line.
Despite not being mathematically relegated, Plymouth require a 14-goal swing in their favour to possibly escape relegation and will be preparing for a return to League One after a two year spell in the Championship.
Leeds enter this fixture knowing a win secures both the title and a 100-point campaign, and their performance against Bristol City shows a side intent on claiming silverware.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Samuel Leasley considers five key battles for the final-day showdown and offers a score prediction.
Miron Muslic vs Daniel Farke
Plymouth have showcased immense determination to not only take this fight to the final day but additionally showing the Premier League’s bottom three how to take relegation with a sense of pride rather than a whimper.
Muslic’s side have won four of their last six fixtures including impressive victories over Sheffield United and Coventry City, either of whom could be a Premier League side next season.
Ultimately, a last-minute defeat at Middlesbrough was the major killer blow, alongside fellow relegation candidates Derby and Luton picking up form simultaneously.
However, Muslic has garnered strong support from the players and fans over the last few months and should have them well-equipped for an immediate return to the second tier.
Farke’s side on Monday night looked to be one full of confidence and free from stress as they effortlessly took Bristol City apart and took home a 4-0 win.
Some glorious passing was showcased from both Joel Piroe and Ilja Gruev to set up Wilfried Gnonto and Largie Ramazani respectively as Leeds ran riot.
The Whites will enter this fixture hoping to make it three wins from three at Home Park across the past two seasons.
They have won on their previous two visits to the ground 4-1 and 2-0.
No matter the result of Saturday’s fixture, Daniel Farke has done an incredible job of rebuilding and maintaining a promotion-worthy squad after the exodus following the defeat at Wembley.
Mustapha Bundu vs Ao Tanaka
Sitting joint top of the Plymouth goalscoring charts with 10 goals, Mustapha Bundu has proved his worth in recent weeks with four goals and two assists in his last six appearances.
Remarkably, these 10 goals have only come from 18 shots on target from the attacker at an accumulation of 5.2 expected goals.
Bundu has been arguably the Pilgrims’ most consistent attacking threat, when fit, and had he been trusted with more minutes by Wayne Rooney, Plymouth could have possibly escaped danger.
Despite his advanced role, Bundu is strong at tracking back and aiding the defence. He has accumulated 85 recoveries and 17 tackles won in his 26 starts.
Up against Bundu in Leeds’ defensive third will be midfielder maestro Ao Tanaka who has proven to be one of if not the best signing of the season in the Championship.
The Japanese international broke the deadlock on Monday with a deft finish under the goalkeeper, after being left free at the back post.
He was unlucky not to walk away with more after narrowly missing a similar chance from close range.
Tanaka has accumulated the most interceptions within the Whites’ squad with 53 whilst trailing only Jayden Bogle in tackles won, also sitting at 53.
This symmetry is also evident in his tough tackling nature as he has won 47 fouls in his 36 appearances whilst giving away the exact same number.
Bali Mumba vs Wilfried Gnonto
Bali Mumba was the standout performer in Plymouth’s most recent victory over Preston, picking up an assist and being a consistent threat on the left-hand side.
The wing-back will be an essential asset to keep for the club’s League One campaign after his previous exploits with the club helping them up to the second tier two years ago.
Even despite his tendency to push forward, Mumba has provided strong defensive cover from opposition right-wingers, having won 55 tackles this season.
He has also been a regular target for fullbacks whilst on the attack as he has accumulated 45 fouls won in his 36 starts.
A man who looks to have regained his confidence in recent weeks is Wilfried Gnonto. He has scored two in his last two appearances.
Gnonto also found the net on his last visit to Home Park and will be looking to cement his claim for a starting spot next season with another good appearance.
In a campaign that has seen him play second fiddle to the likes of Manor Solomon and Dan James, Gnonto has still provided a respectable eight goals and five assists which sees him fifth in the scoring charts at the club.
Like Mumba, Gnonto is a regular target for opposition fullbacks as he has won 57 fouls in only 25 starts this season.
Victor Palsson vs Joel Piroe
With the likely absence of Nikola Katic, Victor Palsson will probably fill the role in the centre of the back three and look to stop the league’s top scorers.
Palsson has started the last four fixtures for Argyle and has put in strong shifts defensively to see his side pick up three wins in those games.
In his 18 starts this season, Palsson has accumulated 16 successful tackles alongside an impressive 31 interceptions.
The Icelandic international will need to be on top form for this fixture to stop both the league’s highest-scoring team and the man in pole position for the Golden Boot.
Joel Piroe turned from goalscorer to provider on Monday night with an outstanding 30-yard pass to set up Gnonto for the Whites’ second goal.
This took Piroe to seven assists for the season and his total contributions up to 26.
The Dutchman’s four-goal haul against Stoke put him two goals clear of Borja Sainz in the Golden Boot race.
There is no doubt the forward will be looking to guarantee the award with his 20th goal of the season in this fixture.
At Elland Road in the reverse fixture, Piroe grabbed the second in a 3-0 win for the Whites and this win again will likely be greatly received in West Yorkshire.
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Adam Randell vs Brenden Aaronson
With Darko Gyabi unable to play against his parent club, Adam Randell will be the only central midfielder to maintain his place for this fixture.
In order to stifle the central threat of the Leeds attack, Randell will be tasked with keeping the passing lanes closed and preventing any link-up between Piroe and Aaronson.
Across his 38 appearances, Randell has accumulated 38 successful tackles alongside making 46 interceptions in defensive midfield.
The Englishman is also in regular conversation with the referee having won 43 fouls this season but committed 40 fouls himself.
With a busy summer of transfer activity ahead of the Whites, someone who looks to be in danger of losing his spot is Brenden Aaronson.
Despite sitting joint third in the Leeds scoring charts with nine goals, Brenden Aaronson has not matched the consistency of the Whites’ wide men and looks a likely candidate to drop to the bench at the start of the Premier League season.
Aaronson has only a single contribution in his last 14 appearances and will no doubt be pushing for a strong finish to the campaign.
The American may look to exploit the heavy tackling nature of Randell as the attacking midfielder has won the most fouls in the Leeds squad with 66.
Summary
This clash is an interesting spectacle and could be a contest of strong attacking football due to the circumstances of both side’s fates.
Should Leeds play like their previous two fixtures, I would expect a strong win for the Whites with Plymouth looking to spoil the party and take a result to go down with pride and a strong foundation to rebuild from.
Score prediction: Plymouth Argyle 0-3 Leeds United
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