Plymouth Argyle vs Sunderland Prediction: Black cats sit atop the pile

Plymouth Argyle will face Sunderland at the Home Park in the English Championship's Gameweek 5. Black cats sit atop the pile. Who will top the game after 90 minutes?

Plymouth Argyle had narrowly avoided relegation from the Championship the previous season, but moved to the second tier with a 21st-place finish and 51 points. To take the team into this season, the club chose former Manchester United and England star Wayne Rooney as its manager, in spite of some reservations about his coaching ability having come under the spotlight during an unsuccessful tenure with Birmingham City.

Despite having given up a 4-0 lead in the opening game at Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth has been able to post draws against Hull and Queens Park Rangers. The team is now among five teams in the Championship that remain without a win this season, 22nd on the table.

However, other clubs did show an interest in Morgan Whittaker. Well, the news for their fans may be that Plymouth has managed to retain their key player Morgan Whittaker, who scored 19 goals last season and did well in helping the team avoid relegation.

Hazard; Edwards, Gibson, Pleguezuelo, Mumba; Randell, Szucs, Whittaker, Gyabi, Cissoko; Hardie

Sunderland ended last season at number 16 in Championship, but under Regis Le Bris, the team seems to have started the new campaign in good form. The 48-year-old Frenchman inspired his Black Cats side to four consecutive wins, placing them at the top of the league table. Two points ahead of West Bromwich Albion, their latest victory over Portsmouth was so comfortable that an own goal from Romaine Mundle in the last minutes of the game could not spoil a fine 2-1 win for Alan Browne's side. However, in an effort to fill the gap that Ross Stewart had left behind during his death, Eliezer Mayenda has stepped up to the plate, but the new issue will come up when Jack Clarke exits for Ipswich Town.

Patterson; Hume, O'Nien, Ballard, Cirkin; Browne, Rigg; Roberts, Bellingham, Mundle; Mayenda

Plymouth have the firepower to hand Sunderland problems, especially when Whittaker is at his best. Still, the team's defensive weaknesses under Rooney are bound to hamper its prospects of winning against Sunderland this weekend. The flying Black Cats are expected to walk in at Home Park on Saturday to complete another victory in the Championship.