Plymouth Argyle head to Leicester City on Tuesday night with their first league win of the season already on the board. The timing matters because Tom Cleverley’s side now go into two away matches in the space of a few days, with Doncaster Rovers waiting at the weekend after this trip.
That makes Leicester City Vs Plymouth more than a routine midweek fixture. Plymouth beat Bradford City through two left-footed finishes from Julio Pleguezuelo and Harvey White, a result that ended Bradford’s 100% record and gave Argyle a lift after a difficult start. Cleverley has now taken his team from that breakthrough to another test on the road, and he will know the margin for error is thin with the schedule moving so quickly.
Leicester, meanwhile, are expected to try to own the game in the way Russell Martin wants them to. He wants the ball passed in all situations, and the numbers back that up: Leicester’s average possession stands at 72.6%, while five of the league’s top ten players for passes completed per 90 minutes are in their squad. That is the shape of the contest Plymouth are walking into — one side trying to keep the ball, the other arriving with the confidence of a first win and a plan to make the most of the next two away trips.
The pressure on Leicester is not only about how much they have the ball, but what they do with it. Their defence remains an open question, with Harry Souttar, Caleb Okoli and Luke Thomas all possible options at the back, while Oliver Skipp is unavailable after his red card against Burton Albion. In goal, the 36-year-old Alex McCarthy has struggled in the role and may lose out to Jakub Stolarczyk, who started Saturday’s draw in Milton Keynes. If Leicester do not solve those decisions quickly, the possession game that defines Martin’s side could become a problem rather than an advantage.
That is why this match matters now. Leicester are champions of the land from just a decade ago and FA Cup winners in 2021, yet they are in the third tier for just the second season in their existence. Plymouth do not need to carry that history; they only need to turn a first win into something steadier. If they leave Tuesday night with another result, Cleverley’s team will go to Doncaster Rovers believing the worst stretch of their season may already be behind them.
