Plymouth Argyle vs Barnsley Predictions

• Both teams have scored in three of Barnsley’s last four pre-season matches
• Both teams have scored in Barnsley’s last five League One away matches
• Plymouth looked dangerous from set-pieces in a 2-0 friendly loss to Bristol City on Saturday

Plymouth put their faith in another ex-Man Utd player

Two clubs with top-six aspirations meet at Home Park on Saturday when Plymouth Argyle and Barnsley kick off their League One campaigns. The Pilgrims suffered relegation from the Championship last season and lost coach Miron Muslic, who attempted to get them on track after Wayne Rooney’s dismal spell in charge, to Schalke in the summer.

Rooney’s ex-Old Trafford teammate Tom Cleverley has been appointed to lead them back to the second tier, but it has been hard to judge if much progress has been made in pre-season. Plymouth looked dangerous from set pieces but created little of note from open play in a 2-0 defeat to Bristol City on Saturday.

And a defence that relied a lot on now departed centre-back Maksym Talovierov looked all at sea at times, which should give Barnsley plenty of encouragement to go for three points this weekend.

Hourihane has his work cut out

The Tykes appointed ex-player and former Plymouth captain Conor Hourihane to the top job in the summer and he will have his work cut out to get them into the playoffs on a modest budget.

But there have been some encouraging displays in warm-up matches and they will not lack firepower after adding veteran striker David McGoldrick, who scored 17 in League Two for Notts County last term, in the offseason.

Backing goals might be the best approach here, given the numerous uncertainties surrounding each club’s form and standing. Both teams have scored in the majority of Barnsley’s friendlies and they finished last term with BTTS landing in each of their last five league games.