Plymouth Argyle vs Sunderland Prediction: Plymouth are five points from bottom three

Plymouth Argyle will welcome Sunderland at Home Park in Game Week 17 of the English Championship. Sunderland will be looking to solidify their position in top six. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?

Plymouth Argyle is set to play at Home Park on Saturday, with the goal of widening the gap between themselves and the relegation zone in the Championship. After winning promotion from the third tier of English football last season, their performance has been up and down.

In their 16 league matches so far, Plymouth Argyle has earned 16 points. They have been active on both ends of the pitch, scoring 27 goals (more than three other teams) and conceding 27 goals (more than three other teams as well).

Out of their four league victories, all of them have been achieved on home turf. Their most recent win was a 3-0 triumph over Sheffield Wednesday in late October. However, they have only managed to secure one more point in their three subsequent attempts. They narrowly lost 3-2 to Ipswich Town and drew 3-3 with Middlesbrough at Home Park, with Morgan Whittaker equalizing in the 77th minute after Bali Mumba and Finn Azaz had previously put Plymouth Argyle ahead 2-1.

Looking to get back on track before the November international break, Plymouth Argyle's last match was against Leeds United at Elland Road, where they suffered a 2-1 defeat. Despite Ben Waine's goal in the 84th minute, they couldn't mount a comeback after Daniel James and Joel Piroe had given the hosts a 2-0 lead within the first 30 minutes.

Although Plymouth Argyle has faced challenging fixtures recently, they cannot afford to be discouraged. They currently sit in 19th place, just five points above the relegation zone. Their main objective is to increase their lead and maintain their strong home record by returning to winning ways this weekend.

Cooper; Pleguezuelo, Scarr, Gibson; Mumba, Houghton, Randell, Kesler-Hayden; Whittaker, Waine, Azaz

Their upcoming schedule remains challenging, however, Sunderland will travel south this weekend aiming to continue their strong start to the season and solidify their position in the top six. Currently in sixth place in the Championship with 26 points, Sunderland has recorded eight victories in their 16 matches. They have scored 27 goals, with only one team outside the top two scoring more, and have conceded 17 goals, which is fewer than all but three teams in the league.

Despite a streak of three consecutive defeats in October, Sunderland bounced back before the break with a 3-1 win against Norwich City. They followed it up with a goalless draw against Swansea City and a 3-1 victory against Birmingham City in their most recent match. This win allowed them to return to the top six, but they are only ahead of West Bromwich Albion and Hull City on goal difference. They are also just two points behind Preston North End.

As they resume their campaign, Sunderland understands the importance of maintaining their momentum in the playoff race. They will be eager to build on their recent success and secure their first away league win since September as they face a tough challenge at Home Park.

Patterson; Huggins, Seelt, Triantis, Hume; Ekwah; Roberts, Neil, Bellingham, Clarke; Rusyn

Even though Sunderland has had a better start to the season and has a higher level of skill, they will face a challenging match against Plymouth Argyle at Home Park, where the home team performs well. While it is unlikely that Plymouth Argyle will defeat Sunderland, we predict that they will earn a draw in this match on the south coast. Take a double chance on the home side. Expect under 3.5 goals in the game.