Plymouth Argyle vs Birmingham City Prediction: Birmingham looking for third win

Plymouth Argyle will welcome Birmingham City at Home Park in Game Week 23 of the English Championship. Blues are aiming for third win in Rooney's guidance after a defeat against league leaders Leicester. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?

Plymouth Argyle form

Following two years in charge of Plymouth Argyle, Schumacher, a native of Liverpool, has announced his departure from the club to take on the role at Stoke City. He replaces Alex Neil and aims to guide the Potters back to the Premier League after a five-year absence. This decision has left Plymouth Argyle in a state of uncertainty, as they face a busy schedule of matches and the January transfer window. In the meantime, Plymouth's director of football, Neil Dewsnip, will lead an interim coaching team. Despite this upheaval, Plymouth Argyle will look to build on their recent 3-2 victory over relegation-threatened Rotherham, where Morgan Whittaker scored a last-minute winner. Currently in 16th place in the Championship standings, Plymouth holds a six-point lead over Queens Park Rangers, managed by Marti Cifuentes, who are in 22nd position. The majority of Plymouth's points, 22 out of 26, have been earned at their home stadium in Devon. Dewsnip's team is on an undefeated streak of four matches at home, which includes wins against Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland, as well as a draw with Middlesbrough.

Plymouth Argyle Predicted Lineup

Hazard; Kesler-Hayden, Pleguezuelo, Gibson, Miller; Cundle, Houghton, Azaz; Whittaker, Mumba, Bundu

Birmingham City form

Birmingham City suffered their seventh defeat in 11 games under the management of Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney on Monday night. The league leaders, Enzo Maresca's team, demonstrated their top-flight quality at St Andrew's Stadium, although Birmingham put up a brave fight against Leicester City.

The home team's courage may have been seen as inexperience by some of the spectators in Birmingham. Stephy Mavididi and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored impressive goals in the first half, capitalizing on well-executed counter-attacks by Leicester. However, in the second half, Birmingham posed serious challenges to the record-breaking Leicester side.

Jordan James, a Wales international, stood out as a key player for Rooney's team in their previous match. James showed his ability to make an impact on both ends of the pitch by scoring two goals, the first time he has achieved this in his senior career. He also provided assists to Ivan Sunjic and Krystian Bielik in the midfield battle.

Birmingham's losing streak on the road in the Championship ended with Juninho Bacuna's goal against Cardiff City on December 13. However, it seems unlikely that they will secure consecutive away victories, as they have only won two of their 11 away matches this season.

Despite not scoring in the last seven matches, Jay Stansfield remains a crucial part of Rooney's pressing forward line. The young striker, who is on loan from Fulham, has reportedly attracted interest from league title contenders Ipswich Town ahead of the January transfer window.

Birmingham City Predicted Lineup

Ruddy; Aiwu, Roberts, Sanderson, Buchanan; Sunjic, Bielik, James; Dembele, Bacuna, Stansfield

Plymouth Argyle vs Birmingham City Expert Tips

The upcoming match on Saturday will pose a significant challenge for Plymouth, as they must now prove their resilience after the departure of Schumacher, who was highly regarded by the fans. However, despite this setback, Plymouth should have confidence in their ability to secure a victory. Birmingham's strategy of high press may initially disrupt the home team, but we believe that Rooney's team will strive for a draw on their opponents' turf this weekend.