North Macedonia vs Switzerland Prediction, Betting Tips & Preview
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Plymouth Argyle
Burton AlbionThere is something quietly compelling about a fixture where one side is genuinely believing in themselves and the other is just trying to stay afloat. Plymouth Argyle against Burton Albion is exactly that kind of game. The Pilgrims are purring right now, playing with the sort of swagger that makes neutral fans sit up and take notice, while the Brewers are heading to the South West carrying a leaky defence, no clean sheet in over a dozen matches, and a centre back stuck on international duty in Uganda. On paper this looks lopsided, but League One has a habit of humbling teams who take their foot off the gas.
What makes this worth watching beyond the obvious momentum gap is that Burton have shown genuine quality in flashes this season. That win at Leicester City was not a fluke. Gary Bowyer gets his sides organised and competitive. The question is whether a Plymouth team that has put 10 goals past three opponents in recent weeks can be kept quiet by a visiting backline that is already scrambling for cover before a ball is kicked.
The fixture takes place at Home Park in Plymouth, where Tom Cleverley’s promotion chasers have been in formidable form this League One campaign. Plymouth are the current tenants of third spot in the third tier and will be desperate to maintain pressure on Bradford City, who currently sit two points clear at the top. This is a genuine six pointer in terms of what each result means for the respective trajectories of both clubs across the season.
Plymouth picked up an unwanted injury from their EFL Trophy thrashing of Crystal Palace Under 21s midweek, with striker Owen Oseni limping off with a serious ankle problem. He is extremely unlikely to feature here, which tightens up Cleverley’s attacking options considerably. Burton arrive with their own significant absentee in Toby Sibbick, who has played every single minute of League One football for the Brewers so far but is currently on international duty with Uganda.
Plymouth will likely line up with Conor Hargreaves Cooper between the sticks, protected by a back four of Harding, Mitchell, Pleguezuelo and Sorinola. Bakinson and White should provide the midfield engine room, with Curtis adding creativity alongside them. Evans and Irow on the flanks give the Pilgrims width and directness, with Aribim Pepple leading the line after Oseni’s injury ruled him out.
Burton will set up with Addai in goal behind what looks like a reshuffled back three or back four featuring Sraha, Tilt and Araujo. Lofthouse and Armer should provide the width from wing back positions, with Chauke and Collar sitting in front of the defence. Rodrigues, Webster and Vickers will be asked to support and create in the final third, though they face a tough afternoon if Plymouth get on top early.
Plymouth are flying. Since that 2-0 defeat at Leicester on September 1, the Pilgrims have reeled off three consecutive League One wins while also hammering Crystal Palace Under 21s 5-1 in the EFL Trophy. That is 10 goals in three league matches alone, which tells you everything about the confidence and quality running through this side right now. Oliver Irow is the standout performer, his brace in the 4-2 win at Blackpool last weekend was the kind of display that makes opposition managers nervous. Pepple has also hit the ground running since Tolaj departed for Bristol City in the summer, contributing three goals in seven league appearances.
Burton’s recent form is a more complicated story. Three games without a win in the league, a two goal lead surrendered at home to Mansfield Town last weekend, and a penalty shootout defeat to Nottingham Forest Under 21s in the Trophy midweek. That Mansfield result in particular will sting Bowyer because his side looked to have the game managed, only to let it slip. Away from home the Brewers have been poor, losing at Notts County and suffering a 3-0 thumping at Oxford United. The Leicester win looks increasingly like an outlier rather than a sign of things to come.
The momentum in this fixture points firmly towards Plymouth. They are sharp, confident, and at home. Burton need something to click quickly if they are to avoid a difficult afternoon in Devon.
Burton have not beaten Plymouth in nine attempts, a run stretching back to October 2018 when Kyle McFadzean scored twice to give the Brewers a win. Since then it has been an increasingly bleak record for Burton against the Pilgrims, covering four draws and five defeats over that period. That is a long time to go without a win against any opponent, and it adds a psychological layer to what is already a tough away day for Bowyer’s men.
Home Park has not been a happy hunting ground for visiting teams this season either, with Plymouth scoring two or more goals in five of their six home games so far. If there was ever a fixture where the head to head trend felt genuinely relevant rather than just background noise, this is it.
This feels like a match where the form book, the head to head, and the team news all point in the same direction. Plymouth are a team with momentum, firepower, and home advantage. Burton are undermanned at the back and arriving with no clean sheet in months. The value here is in backing what the evidence is screaming rather than looking for a contrarian angle.
Aribim Pepple is the pick here. With Oseni out, the Canadian striker is the undisputed focal point of Plymouth’s attack, and with three goals already this season he is clearly hitting his stride. Burton’s makeshift defence gives him the opportunity to add to that tally from the off, and a home striker leading the line for a side in this sort of form is exactly the profile you want for a first goalscorer bet.
Plymouth 2-0 Burton Albion feels right. The Pilgrims are strong enough defensively to keep a misfiring Burton attack quiet, while at the other end they have the quality and variety to break down a backline that is already stretched before kick off. A clean sheet for Plymouth is genuinely plausible given how little Burton have threatened on the road this term.
Over 2.5 goals looks a solid call. Plymouth have been scoring freely all campaign and Burton have been conceding at an alarming rate. Even if the Brewers grab one on the break, the Pilgrims have shown they can keep finding the net regardless. This has the feel of a match where goals come relatively easily, particularly as Plymouth push for a convincing home win.
Over 3.5 cards is worth a look. Burton are likely to spend large portions of this match under pressure, and when a side is chasing the game or trying to disrupt a free flowing attack they tend to pick up bookings. A reshuffled Brewers backline that is already unfamiliar with its combinations could get caught in compromising positions, leading to frustrated fouls and a decent cards tally by the final whistle.
Over 9.5 corners looks appealing. Plymouth generate a lot of their threat from wide positions and love to get the ball into the box. With Irow and Evans stretching play and Pepple looking to attack crosses, you would expect the Pilgrims to force multiple corners throughout. If Burton go behind early and commit more men forward, that only increases the likelihood of Plymouth winning possession and counter attacking into wide areas to win even more set pieces.
| Market | Selection |
|---|---|
| Match Result | Plymouth Argyle to Win |
| Both Teams to Score | No |
| First Goalscorer | Aribim Pepple |
Plymouth winning to nil fits the pattern of Burton’s goalless away struggles, Pepple is the most likely man to break the deadlock, and combining the clean sheet angle with a result and a scorer makes this a tidy bet builder with logical foundations across all three legs.
Plymouth Argyle 2-0 Burton Albion is where the evidence lands. The Pilgrims have too much going for them right now: form, fitness relative to Burton’s absentee problems, home advantage, a striker in form, and a head to head record that firmly favours the hosts. Tom Cleverley’s side look like a team that knows exactly what it wants from this season, and they have the personnel to make it happen.
Burton will work hard, Bowyer will have them organised, and there might be a moment or two where the Brewers threaten. But a defence missing its first choice centre back, carrying 12 matches without a clean sheet, and facing a Plymouth attack that has put four past Blackpool and five past Crystal Palace’s youth side in the space of a week is going to struggle badly. The Pilgrims should see this out comfortably and keep the pressure on Bradford at the top.
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North Macedonia vs Switzerland Prediction, Betting Tips & Preview
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Plymouth Argyle vs Burton Albion Prediction, Betting Tips & Preview
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