Plymouth Argyle, who are still chasing their first away victory of the 2024–25 campaign, travel further north to Lancashire on Tuesday night to play Burnley in the Championship.
The Home Park supporters had cause for celebration over the weekend as Wayne Rooney's team defeated Luton Town 3-1, while Oxford United held the Clarets to a scoreless draw.
Matchday seven saw Oxford hold the Clarets to a creditable goalless draw at the Kassam Stadium, continuing Burnley's recent goalmouth woes. A few months ago, this match would have been Premier League vs. League One.
For Scott Parker's team, clear-cut opportunities were hard to come by. They were blanked away from home against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the EFL Cup and Sunderland in the second division in late August. This was their third straight game without a goal.
Parker's team has only scored four goals in Burnley's previous 540 minutes of play, but at least the forgettable match on Saturday extended the Clarets' Championship winning streak to four games as they are still very much in the running for the playoffs in fourth place.
Additionally, Burnley has been goalless in three of their last four games, all of which have taken place away from home. This Tuesday's hosts are on an eight-game scoring streak at Turf Moor, dating back to a 2-0 Premier League loss to Bournemouth in early March, although only managing one clean sheet during that run.
The team vying for promotion has also grown fond of midweek games; since losing 1-0 to Middlesbrough in December 2015, they have not lost in 19 of these encounters, although they have drawn 10 of them.
Ibrahim Cissoko's outstanding substitute cameo at Home Park proved to be the difference as Wayne Rooney's Plymouth Argyle defeated Luton Town two weeks after they unexpectedly beat Sunderland at the same venue.
The Toulouse loanee added two goals to Rami Al Hajj's opening goal in the eighth minute, and the Toulouse product's team can look back on September with great fondness. Victor Moses responded for the Green Army in the second half.
The only blemish on Rooney's record in the last month has been a close 1-0 loss to league leaders West Bromwich Albion. Since then, his team has soared to 15th place in the rankings, though Bristol City will pass them if they win their match against Swansea City on Sunday.
Even though Plymouth is repairing the walls of the Home Park stronghold, they have yet to win away from home in any competition this year, and in their previous five Championship games played on unfamiliar ground, they have only mustered one goal, Morgan Whittaker's equalizer against Queens Park Rangers.
Burnley and Plymouth haven't faced each other in a competition since the 2012–13 EFL Cup, which the Clarets won on penalties. Argyle's last Turf Moor triumph dates back to 1977, and they have lost 10 of their previous 13 games there.
