Plymouth Argyle

Image source, Rex Features

Plymouth Argyle head coach Miron Muslic says his side will "not roll out the red carpet" for title-chasing Leeds United on Saturday.

Argyle are all-but relegated from the Championship and face a Leeds team who know they will lift the title if they can win at Home Park.

Leeds are level on points with Burnley, but their superior goal difference means as long as they match the Clarets' result they will be crowned champions.

Meanwhile, Argyle need an almost impossible set of results if they are to stay up - they must beat Leeds and hope both Hull and Luton lose as well as requiring a 14-goal swing in goal difference.

But Muslic says his side's recent good form against promotion-chasing outfits stands his team in good stead.

"I think the top teams they just suit us, fit us," he told BBC Radio Devon.

"I think we should have confidence for a reason - Norwich, Coventry, Sheffield United - all the top teams that are far highly ranked than us, we managed not only to perform at a good level, we also managed in the end to grab the three points.

"The desire of Leeds to come here to win the game, to celebrate with the title, we don't have to speak about that, but we also have the desire to perform as strong as possible.

"We will not roll out the red carpet here for Leeds United, we will give them a proper fight."

Leeds United will battle for the title when they host Plymouth Argyle on Saturday (12:30 BST) for their final match of the season.

Leeds' superior goal difference means the currently hold top spot over rivals Burnley, but will need a victory to ensure they hold the trophy at the final whistle before ascending to the Premier League next season.

Argyle, on the other hand, find their fates heading in the opposite direction.

The visitors have been all but relegated to League One due to their poor goal difference and now compete to try and keep off the basement place currently held by Cardiff City.

• Plymouth Argyle are winless across their last 11 league games against Leeds United (D2 L9), losing each of their last five in succession whilst conceding 2+ goals in each.

• Leeds United have won each of their last four away league games against Plymouth Argyle, one more victory than across their prior 16 away meetings with the Pilgrims combined (W3 D4 L9).

• Plymouth have won four of their last six league games (L2), as many victories as across their prior 30 Championship matches combined (D11 L15). The Pilgrims are also looking to win four consecutive home matches in the second tier for the first time since April 2007.

• Leeds have lost each of their last two games on the final day of a league campaign, as many defeats as across their prior 15 such fixtures combined (W9 D4).

• Leeds United have won 28 league matches this season, their joint most in a league season along with the 2019-20 campaign. The 93 goals they've scored are also only bettered by the 98 they scored in the 1927-28 season.

Image source, Rex Features

Head coach Miron Muslic conceded Plymouth Argyle are already relegated despite their fate still not being officially confirmed following their victory over Preston North End.

"I feel empty and hearbroken, " Muslic told BBC Radio Devon, accepting a double-digit win over Leeds in their final game was not feasible.

"We gave it our all but it was not easy for the lads to go from the first whistle knowing Luton had scored this unbelievable goal in minute 90.

"It was a tough one to take and to be ready to give it our all one more time.

"We showed we have the right character but unfortunately it was not enough and we will get relegated. It's a sad day for all of us. It's over, unfortunately.

"We had an obligation as a team and staff - and to the Green Army, who needed to see their team fighting."

Both these sides still have work to do to secure their Championship status.

Plymouth will start Saturday's game (15:00 BST) three points short of safety, while Preston's six-match winless run means they are only three points clear of trouble.

• Preston are unbeaten across their past six league games against Plymouth (W3 D3), since a 1-0 away loss in October 2008.

• Plymouth are winless in their past seven away league games against Preston (D3 L4), since a 1-0 win in November 1997.

• Preston have won just one of their past 13 league games (D6 L6), losing the past three in a row. They last lost more consecutively between April and August last year (seven).

• Plymouth have alternated between victory (three) and defeat (two) in their past five league games, beating Norwich last time out. However, both losses in that run have come away from home, while all three victories have come at home.

Image source, Getty Images

Plymouth Argyle head coach Miron Muslic says his side have the "belief" to keep their Championship survival hopes alive.

The Pilgrims are three points from safety at the bottom of the table with two games to play, starting with a must-win trip to Preston North End on Saturday.

Argyle go into the game in good form, having won three of their past five games beating Norwich City, Sheffield United and Coventry City at home.

"The recent weeks have just confirmed our self-confidence and the belief inside this team that we can achieve this," Muslic told BBC Radio Devon.

"The next must-win is just around the corner and we can only control what we have in our hands, and that's purely our performance."

Argyle's poor goal difference means they could be facing the drop before kick-off should Luton Town win their lunchtime game with Coventry.

But Muslic says while he cannot stop his players finding out other results, he can ensure his team try to keep their own results under their control.

"We can't control what happens in other stadiums and this will have no influence on us, because in the end we just have to do our job, grab the three points and see where we are," he said.

"Our obligation is to go out and give our all, regardless of what happens before, and that's exactly the mindset we have inside this team.

"I think if you looked at the last performance here on Monday against Coventry, then you can imagine that we are ready to do this."

Image source, Rex Features

Plymouth Argyle's Ukraine defender Maksym Talovierov has returned to fitness in time for the final two games of the season.

It had been feared that the club-record signing would miss the rest of the campaign after injuring his knee in last month's 3-2 loss to Derby County.

But the centre-back, who has scored two goals in 11 appearances for the Pilgrims since his January move to Home Park, has recovered for the trip to Preston North End on Saturday.

Bottom-of-the-table Argyle must win at Deepdale if they are to stand a realistic chance of staying in the Championship.

"He will be in the squad," Argyle head coach Miron Muslic told BBC Radio Devon.

"He was pushing everyone, the medical department, the physio department, the performance department, and then latest me.

"But he has the green light and is 100%, and he will be available for the squad and if we need him for the last 10, 15, 20 minutes he will be on the pitch."

Image source, Rex Features

Plymouth Argyle head coach Miron Muslic says he is proud of his side after their 3-1 win over Coventry City.

The victory kept the Pilgrims three points from safety with two games to go as they try and secure their Championship survival.

The win came three days after a heart-breaking late loss at Middlesbrough, and with all Argyle's relegation rivals either winning or getting a point, was crucial.

"I'm very proud to deliver this kind of performance, just two days after Middlesbrough," he told BBC Sport:

"To step on the field today and perform like the lads performed I'm very proud – we knew the calibre of the opponent they're flying with 15 wins from 20 games

"We had a fantastic match plan, great discipline and the heart and desire to execute it.

"We did our job today and I think we did it in an excellent way.

"We want to win the next one because the last home game against Leeds, we have a final, and that's what we're aiming for."

Image source, Rex Features

Plymouth Argyle head coach Miron Muslic admits he was 'hurt' at the manner of their last-gasp defeat at Middlesbrough.

Argyle were on course for a useful point when Tommy Conway won an injury-time penalty for which their captain Joe Edwards was sent off before the Boro forward sent Conor Hazard the wrong way from the spot to leave Plymouth with nothing.

It keeps the three-point gap to Derby County in 21st place - which is effectively four, given Plymouth's vastly inferior goal difference - but now with only three games to go.

But after playing well for large periods at the Riverside, Muslic is confident his side can regroup for Monday's home game with play-off chasing Coventry City.

"It feels heavy," he told BBC Radio Devon. "The lads played a brilliant game.

"Everything we prepared before, we actually delivered. We knew the threat of Middlesbrough - very strong in possession, very strong offensively, but we did it very well and consistently kept our transition threat, creating so many goalscoring opportunities.

"That shows the strong performance we had. And losing this very much deserved point we had with a 93rd-minute penalty, it hurts.

"We have to go again - there is nothing to regret after that 100 minutes. We gave it all."

Three points off the play-offs meets three points off safety. Another Good Friday match-up with a plenty on the line for both Middlesbrough and Plymouth.

Boro know a win will keep them in the top-six debate, for Argyle the battle to save their tumultuous season gets more and more intense.

Here is the tale of the tape ahead of kick-off (15:00 BST).

• Middlesbrough have won two of their past nine league matches against Plymouth Argyle (D5 L2) and are winless in their last three (D2 L1).

• Plymouth Argyle have won on each of their past two league trips to Middlesbrough (1-0 in October 2009 and 2-0 in February 2024); they could win three in a row for the first time.

• Of the 51 teams to play 50+ English Football League games on Good Friday, Middlesbrough have the lowest win percentage (21.6%), winning just 11 of 51 games (D15 L25).

• Plymouth have alternated between victory (3) and defeat (3) in each of their past six league games on Good Friday, losing 2-1 away to Norwich last season.

• Only Sheffield Wednesday (21) have won more points from losing positions in the Championship than Plymouth (18), though just four of those points have come on the road.