Plymouth Argyle

Image source, Rex Features

Plymouth Argyle head coach Miron Muslic has confirmed striker Ryan Hardie will miss Saturday's visit of Cardiff City and has been in London to see a specialist.

In-form Hardie was forced off with a back injury during the first half of last weekend's 2-0 defeat at Blackburn Rovers.

The problem also forced him to sit out Wednesday night's trip to Luton Town which saw the two sides at the foot of the Championship table play out a 1-1 draw.

Muslic told BBC Radio Devon: "He [Hardie] will be out also for the game tomorrow. He was today in London with our head of the medical department Gareth [Law] to see a specialist but I can only confirm he will be out tomorrow."

Muslic, who remains uncertain exactly how long Hardie will be out for, with games including an FA Cup trip to Manchester City on the horizon, wants his players to maintain their impressive recent home form when they take on Cardiff on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

Plymouth have won each of their last three games at Home Park and Muslic said: "It's up to us to make it really, really difficult for them.

"We try to make Home Park a fortress again. We show this against West Brom, we show this against Liverpool and also against Millwall.

"It was just hard to play and this should be always the same, if you come to Plymouth, if you come to Home Park. That's the extra motivation, the extra boost we have and exactly the same, we want to create tomorrow."

Following Plymouth's draw at rock-bottom Luton, the clash with Cardiff is another relegation 'six-pointer' for Muslic's men.

The Welsh side are just three points above Plymouth and two places outside the relegation zone in 20th.

Plymouth Argyle welcome Cardiff City to Home Park on Saturday lunchtime (12:30 GMT) for an important clash between two sides battling relegation.

The Pilgrims are one point adrift of safety in 23rd, having played one game more than the Bluebirds, who are 20th and three points above the drop zone.

Cardiff are without a win in their past three (D2 L1), having previously gone on a seven-game unbeaten run (W3 D4).

• Plymouth Argyle have lost just three of their past 24 home league games against Cardiff City (W7 D14), winning this exact fixture 3-1 last season.

• After winning the reverse fixture 5-0 in October, Cardiff City will be looking to complete a first league double over Plymouth Argyle since the 1948-49 season.

• Plymouth have won each of their past three home games in all competitions, all coming in February. The Pilgrims past enjoyed a longer home winning run between April and August 2023 (5), while they last had more home wins in a single month in October 2022 (5).

• Cardiff have shipped 34 goals in 16 away league games in 2024-25, their worst average per game (2.13) since the 1985-86 campaign (54 in 23 games, 2.35).

• Plymouth's Ryan Hardie has scored a brace in each of his past two home league games, netting as many goals (4) as he had in his previous 24 combined at Home Park. He's the first Pilgrims player to score 2+ goals in consecutive home league appearances since Ruben Lameiras in January 2019 in League One.

Image source, PA Media

Plymouth manager Miron Muslic spoke to BBC Radio Devon following the 1-1 draw against Luton Town on Wednesday.

He said: "It was a very vertical and direct game, the atmosphere was amazing, it felt like England and the Championship.

"Luton were very physical, we had to defend about a thousand long balls. We did it well defensively; we didn't allow them many chances in open play, it was mainly the set-pieces and deep free-kicks.

"We conceded the goal through miscommunication. Bouncing back is super difficult but it is our new mentality. We did it against Sunderland, West Bromwich Albion and also tonight; that is why I'm OK and happy with the point.

"It will be massive if we perform well against Cardiff. Home Park, fortress, that is the plan."

There is a Championship basement battle on Wednesday (19:45 GMT) as bottom side Luton Town host next-to-bottom Plymouth Argyle.

The Hatters have yet to win under new boss Matt Bloomfield, sinking to the foot of the table, three points adrift of safety.

Meanwhile, Argyle's new boss Miron Muslic has guided them off the bottom after taking seven points from their past four league games (W2 D1 L1).

• Luton Town have won only one of their last seven home Football League games against Plymouth Argyle (D3 L3), though it came in the most recent of those in League One in November 2018, winning 5-1 with James Collins scoring a hat-trick.

• After beating Luton 3-1 in September, Plymouth could do the league double over the Hatters for the first time since 2006-07 in the Championship under Ian Holloway.

• Luton have lost each of their last four midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) games in the Championship, but haven't lost five successive midweek matches in the Football League since a run of eight from August 1990 to August 1991.

• Plymouth are winless in their last nine midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) away league outings (D2 L7), losing all five such fixtures since the start of 2024.

• Plymouth have lost each of their last three Championship games against sides relegated from last season's Premier League. However, their last win in that regard was the reverse fixture against Luton in September.

Image source, Rex Features

Ryan Hardie will be sent to see a specialist when Plymouth Argyle return from their 2-0 defeat at Blackburn Rovers.

Head coach Miron Muslic, asked about the seriousness of the injury, which forced the club's top goalscorer off in the first half, told BBC Radio Devon:

"We have to wait, such an important player, and he will have to go straight to the specialist to see, but there is a back issue with his nerves."

Muslic urged patience from fans as his team's three-match winning streak came to an end, saying: "We found the right balance before the Liverpool game, and found the right balance after it to deliver a performance like we did against Millwall and win the game.

"No-one can expect us to ride from victory to victory every three days, but we are very competitive and in a better place than three or four weeks ago.

"We have closed the gap. A lot of teams are involved in this [relegation] scenario, six or seven at least, and it's up to us to keep a cool mind and keep this organisation, structure and intensity - and then we can get all the points we need to stay up."

Blackburn begin life after John Eustace at Ewood Park with the visit of Plymouth on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The Pilgrims seem to have turned a corner under Miron Muslic and climbed off the foot of the table on Wednesday with a 5-1 thrashing of Millwall, following up a draw at Sunderland, victory over West Brom and Sunday's stunning FA Cup shock against Liverpool.

Rovers returned to fifth in mid-week with a 2-0 win at West Brom led by interim boss David Lowe, however just eight points separate 11 sides in the race for the final two play-off spots.

• Blackburn Rovers are yet to beat Plymouth Argyle in the Football League this century (D2 L3), with their last league win against the Pilgrims coming in May 1992 (3-1).

• Since a 2-1 win in March 1989, Plymouth are winless in each of their past five trips to Blackburn in the league (D3 L2).

• Blackburn have won two of their past three league games at Ewood Park (L1), as many as in their prior eight games (D2 L4).

• Plymouth have drawn each of their past two away league games, picking up as many points as they did in their previous 15 away league matches combined (D2 L13).

• Blackburn's Makhtar Gueye has been involved in five goals in his past seven league games at Ewood Park (2 goals, 3 assists), netting in two of his last three league games there.

Image source, Rex Features

Plymouth Argyle boss Miron Muslic says his side used 'the energy' from their FA Cup win over Liverpool to beat Millwall 5-1 at Home Park.

The victory - Argyle's biggest since September 2023 - lifted them off the bottom of the Championship table.

The Pilgrims are two points from safety with 15 games to go.

"I knew it was going to be very difficult for us because everything was so emotional on Sunday," he told BBC Sport.

"I think we as staff found the right balance to support the lads as best possible to enjoy this great achievement, a historical moment for us, but also on the other side not to forget that the daily bread is this competition, and we have to collect points and we have to win games.

"That's why I'm very pleased and very proud also of the performance and the win.

"The plan was to use this energy, to use this confidence from Liverpool from the first whistle - if we could manage to do this we knew then that we can also create some troubled moments for Millwall, knowing that Millwall is just defensively solid.

"We knew if we could put this structure back on the pitch, this intensity, we can create chances and we took advantage of it. "

The draw for the FA Cup fifth round has been made. Here is a list of all the ties involving Championship teams left in the competition.

Games will be played over the first weekend of March.

• Aston Villa v Cardiff City

• Crystal Palace v Millwall

• Manchester City v Plymouth

• Preston North End v Burnley

You can find the full draw here.

Plymouth Argyle will turn their attentions back to the battle for Championship survival following their memorable shock FA Cup win over Liverpool on Sunday.

The Pilgrims are bottom and four points from safety ahead of the visit of play-off chasing Millwall, but Miron Muslic's side did end a 15-game winless run in the league by beating West Bromwich Albion last time out.

The Lions beat Leeds 2-0 in the FA Cup at the weekend and have won three on the bounce in the league to reignite their quest for a top-six finish.

• Plymouth Argyle have failed to win any of their past eight league games against Millwall (D4 L4), since a 3-0 home victory in December 1997.

• Millwall have won each of their past three league games against Plymouth Argyle, already the Lions' longest ever run against the Pilgrims in the EFL.

• Plymouth ended a 15-game winless Championship run with a 2-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion last time out. Argyle haven't won consecutive league games since February 2024, the only time they've achieved that in the Championship over the last two seasons.

• Millwall have won their past three league games, having won none of their first four under Alex Neil (D2 L2). Each of their past eight league wins have all come via a one-goal margin.

• Ryan Hardie scored both of Plymouth's goals in their 2-1 win over West Brom, having only netted once in his previous 35 Championship games. The Scotsman last scored in consecutive games in January 2024.

Image source, Rex Features

We asked you for your views on the greatest win in Plymouth Argyle's history.

Unsurprisingly many of you went for Sunday's 1-0 win over Premier League leaders Liverpool, although a number of you felt it was a little bit devalued by Arne Slot picking a weakened side (even though it still had eight internationals).

Here are some of your views:

Phil: We've had plenty of wins that were more important than this but it's certainly the biggest upset Argyle have had in my time of supporting them.

John: Having supported the Green Army for73 years, to knock Liverpool out of the FA Cup is beyond my wildest dreams.

Stuart: The result against Liverpool was a great win but probably not the most important in Argyle's history. The 2-0 win against QPR in 2004 could be seen as more important but the most important result would have to be the 2-1 win at Chesterfield that kept Argyle in the league in 2013.

Richard: I was at nearly every game in the 1983-84 FA Cup run and that was a magic time, especially the away wins at West Brom and Derby. But this is right up there - a fantastic result.

But if one man is to overshadow Liverpool it could only be arguably the greatest player to ever lace up a pair of boots.

Brazil legend Pele and his Santos side toured Europe in 1973 and played the Pilgrims at Home Park that March - you can read more about it here.

Around 40,000 packed into Home Park that night as the home side beat the stars from South America 3-2 - a game that still lives long in the memory.

Matthew: This is the biggest win at Home Park since Argyle beat Santos. This is certainly the best result of this millennium.

Martin: 1973 v Santos, attendance approx 38,000. Santos had Pele, Edu, Roberto Carlos and Clodaldo. We won 3-2 and although the result counted for nothing, it was a proper football match and a bruising encounter. To say the atmosphere was charged would be a massive understatement.

Peter: Possibly... but seeing Pele playing for Santos and beating them was special - and unexpected. Liverpool playing their youngsters has taken the edge of a superb victory. A match which tbh they should have won had it not been for excellent goalkeeping.

Image source, Rex Features

No, you weren't dreaming - it really did happen! Plymouth Argyle beat Liverpool in the FA Cup.

The Premier League leaders, the Champions League group stage toppers, the six-time European champions, the 19-time champions of England... humbled at Home Park.

Plymouth Argyle chairman Simon Hallett says it is "probably the best ever win at Home Park" in the club's history.

Miron Muslic says it is the greatest win of his managerial career.

Goalscorer Ryan Hardie says "it's one that will live with me forever".

But where does it rank in your greatest Argyle moments? If there is a bigger or more important win, what was it?

Let us know your thoughts here.