Plymouth boss delivers Sunderland and Tony Mowbray verdict ahead of Championship match at Home Park

Plymouth boss Steven Schumacher hopes his side can match Sunderland’s energy and expects an exciting game when the two sides meet at Home Park.

Argyle are 19th in the Championship ahead of the fixture but have scored 27 league goals this season, the same number as teams like Sunderland, Leeds and Southampton who occupy places in the top six. 

All four of Plymouth’s league wins this season have come at Home Park, while The Pilgrims played out a 3-3 draw with Middlesbrough during their last home match.

“I think it is going to be a really exciting game,”  Schumacher told Argyle TV when asked about coming up against Tony Mowbray’s Sunderland.  “Looking at what Sunderland have done over the last couple of seasons, some of their play has been outstanding. They have got a really young squad with loads of energy, pretty similar to Middlesbrough – and pretty similar to what we are about.

“I wouldn’t expect a game too dissimilar. It will be two teams going forward, being positive, so we expect chances in the game. Hopefully we create more than them and score more than them, because the most important thing is that we get a result here at Home Park.

“They’ve had a plan; over the last couple of seasons, they have recruited really young players who are talented. Their average age is the youngest in the Championship, which allows them to play with huge amounts of energy. The speed of their games is incredible – but we feel as though we are good at that as well. We are good at playing at a good tempo and trying to cause teams problems by attacking them. That’s what we expect from them.

“Tony is one of the most experienced managers in the EFL. He can mix it up and do different things, but you can clearly see the identity of their team and what they are trying to do. They play a similar system to us and they have outstanding individual players. It’s going to be a tough game but it is one we are looking forward to.”