- 1 Plymouth Argyle vs Coventry City: one point in League One against a Premier League newcomer
- 2 Plymouth Argyle: scraped through, but the league campaign is already looking messy
- 3 Coventry City: a chance to get the wheels turning again
- 4 Football prediction Plymouth Argyle vs Coventry City
- 5 First, a word on our free picks
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your job
- 9 Responsible gambling first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the images…
Plymouth Argyle vs Coventry City: one point in League One against a Premier League newcomer 
One point from two League One games. Plymouth’s start to the season looks nothing like the strong finish that had Home Park buzzing.
The Pilgrims host Coventry City on Tuesday 25 August at 19:45 UK time in the second round of the EFL Cup. Two divisions separate the clubs since the Sky Blues went up to the Premier League.
Plymouth booked their place by knocking out Exeter City in the previous round, a Devon derby settled in the closing minutes. Coventry come in at this stage because they are top-flight club.
Tom Cleverley ended last season on a strong run, with only Lincoln City doing better than Plymouth over the final 15 League One matches. The play-offs slipped away by two points, behind Stevenage.
Frank Lampard arrives with a very different backdrop: his side dominated the Championship last season, a first for the club in almost 60 years, before losing 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium on their return to the top flight.
Home Park has been a happy hunting ground for the Pilgrims in this fixture, with Coventry winless in their last three visits. But the Sky Blues have Hull City on Saturday, so a bit of rotation feels likely.
Coventry are coming into the competition at this stage, while Plymouth have already been through one round. That extra game-time can matter on nights like this.
The Exeter derby jolted the Pilgrims awake late on. Doing that again against Premier League opposition is another matter entirely.
Plymouth Argyle: scraped through, but the league campaign is already looking messy 
One win, one draw, one defeat in three competitive matches. Plymouth’s record is being propped up by that cup win over Exeter.
On that night, former Exeter man Alex Hartridge broke the deadlock in stoppage time before Aribim Pepple sealed it on the break. Two late goals that said plenty about the group’s mindset.
League action began with a 3-1 home defeat to Stockport County. Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Wycombe Wanderers was better, but not enough to lift the Pilgrims out of the bottom four.
Cleverley is also dealing with a growing injury list: Malachi Boateng picked up a knee ligament injury against Wycombe and Michael Baidoo, who has a hamstring problem, is out until November.
Owen Oseni, who injured his knee in a friendly against Bristol City earlier this month, is not expected back until the end of September. Freddie Issaka and Jack MacKenzie should return sooner.
There is still one clear edge for Plymouth: Coventry have not won at Home Park in their last three trips, and Plymouth did dump Liverpool out of the FA Cup in 2024-25 in the same stadium. Knockout football suits them.
Aribim Pepple and Alex Hartridge were the scorers in the win over Exeter and both are expected to keep their places in Cleverley’s side on Tuesday night.
That opening-day 3-1 loss to Stockport is still the real warning sign. Plymouth have already shown cracks at the back in front of their own fans.
Try it for $0.99.
Coventry City: a chance to get the wheels turning again 
One competitive game this season, one defeat: the 3-0 loss at Arsenal on the opening day of the Premier League.
The schedule threw the reigning champions at them first, which puts that result into some kind of context. Lampard now starts a far friendlier run.
The cup comes at a useful time to build momentum. Coventry have never gone beyond the semi-finals in this competition, a barrier the club would love to break.
The attack has been strengthened this summer with the arrivals of Taiwo Awoniyi and Sidiki Cherif, a move made more urgent by Haji Wright’s absence after a thigh injury that will keep him out for three months.
Jack Rudoni returned to the squad on Friday after an issue with his shoulder, while Luke Woolfenden remains doubtful after a month out. No fresh injuries came out of the trip to London.
The head-to-head record also leans towards the Sky Blues, with just two defeats in the last nine meetings and five clean sheets in that run.
Taiwo Awoniyi is in line to lead the line as he makes his first appearance in the competition for the Sky Blues. He was brought in this summer precisely because Haji Wright is out long term.
Lampard face Hull City at the Coventry Building Society Arena on Saturday, a far bigger game for his survival hopes. Rotation looks almost certain.
Expected Plymouth Argyle XI: Cooper ; Harding, Ross, Pleguezuelo, Hartridge ; Amaechi, Ibrahim, White, Curtis ; Evans, Pepple
Expected Coventry City XI: Wilson ; Kitching, Bidwell, Thomas, Dasilva ; Sakamoto, Yirenkyi, Rudoni, Torp, Hamer ; Awoniyi
Football prediction Plymouth Argyle vs Coventry City
Our prediction: Coventry City to win
Plymouth have picked up just one point from their two League One games and shipped three at home to Stockport. Boateng, Baidoo and Oseni are already in the treatment room.
Coventry have lost only two of their last nine meetings with Plymouth and have kept five clean sheets in that run. Even with changes, Lampard’s side will still field Premier League quality against a third-tier club.
The Sky Blues should get through this tie in Devon. The pick is a Coventry City win in normal time.
Coventry are coming off a trip to the Emirates Stadium against the reigning champions, by far the toughest test on their schedule. The gap in class compared with League One is still huge.
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
_________
First, a word on our free picks
- What we publish on mathodds is analysis, nothing more. It’s an opinion, a read on the moment, but never a guarantee. Sport is what it is: unpredictable. A red card, an injury, a goal from nowhere… and the script changes completely.
- Let’s be clear: there is no risk-free bet. Even when something looks obvious, it rarely is. And yes, that means you can lose. In fact, you will at some point.
- The smart move is to stay sensible. Bet small, set a budget and stick to it. Do not touch money you need to live on. And above all: do not chase losses, because that usually ends badly.
- A bet should stay a game, not a job or a source of income. If it starts taking up too much space in your daily life, if it irritates you or puts you under pressure, take a break. And if needed, speak to a specialist service. That’s what they’re there for.
- In the end, the responsibility is yours. Reading our content means accepting that risk exists and never goes away, even with the best analysis in the world.
- Essential reminder: betting is banned for minors and must follow the law in your country. Gambling can spiral fast, bringing money problems, family tension and addiction. Need Help? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. In the UK? Visit https://www.gambleaware.org/https://www.gambleaware.org/.
No commitment from us
Our picks are not a contract. They have no legal force. In plain English: you cannot use them to claim anything if a bet loses.
Information changes
A prediction is always based on what we know when it is written. But in the meantime, a team sheet changes, a player gets injured, the weather turns ugly… and the analysis can quickly be out of date. We cannot be held responsible for that.
Your job
Before you bet, check that betting is legal where you are. If it is not, that’s your responsibility, not ours.
Responsible gambling first
We cannot say it often enough: gamble in moderation. If you struggle to keep control, do not wait to get help. We cannot be responsible for compulsive or excessive use of the information published on the site.
Legal age
mathodds content is for adults only. By using this site, you confirm you are old enough to bet under the law.
About the images…
The Plymouth Argyle and Coventry City images and logos on mathodds, including those linked to the EFL Cup, are there only to illustrate our articles. They do not mean we have an official link with any federation or sports body, and we make no claim of ownership over them.
Those rights belong to the original creators. If, despite our care, any image causes a problem, contact us and it will be removed without delay.
Our only aim with these images is to make the reading a little easier on the eye. Nothing more. No commercial gain, no taking credit for other people’s work.
Leave a Reply