6 players set to miss Plymouth Argyle v Bradford City & 2 more doubtful | OneFootball

Aden Baldwin could be one of a number of confirmed absentees as Plymouth Argyle face Bradford City at Home Park.

Two teams that will be aiming to challenge for promotion from League One this season face off against each other at Home Park on Saturday afternoon as Plymouth Argyle take on Bradford City.

Tom Cleverley’s Pilgrims finished last season extremely well and they will believe the top six is well within their reach this season but it has been a frustrating start to their campaign.

After beating arch-rivals Exeter City in the first round of the EFL Cup, Plymouth have gone on to lose 3-1 at home to Stockport County before sharing a 1-1 draw with Wycombe Wanderers and then succumbing to a 4-2 defeat to Coventry City in the cup, despite a spirited comeback during that match.

Unlike Plymouth, Bradford were able to topple a team from a higher division in midweek as The Bantams edged past Championship side Burnley on penalties after the two sides had shared a goalless draw at Valley Parade.

That follows a fine start to the season for City, beginning with a cup victory against Rochdale before wins against Peterborough United and Sheffield Wednesday in the league. They are yet to concede in four matches across all competitions thus far.

They may well be without one key man for this one, though. This is a look at the confirmed and possible absentees as Plymouth welcome Bradford down to Devon.

Plymouth Argyle

Michael Baidoo

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Tom Cleverley was pleased when asked about team news in the aftermath of their defeat to Coventry, saying it is the fewest injuries he has had at the club with only two confirmed absentees.

One of those absentees is Michael Baidoo, who had enjoyed a strong pre-season upon his return to Plymouth after spending last season on loan in Qatar at Umm Salal.

Malachi Boateng

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The other confirmed absentee for Argyle is Baidoo’s fellow midfielder Michael Boateng, who started both of their opening games of the campaign in League One.

However, a heavy challenge early on at Adams Park against Wycombe has seen knee ligament damage rule Boateng out for the foreseeable future.

Jack MacKenzie

One player who could well end up featuring this weekend is Jack MacKenzie, with the 26-year-old defender returning to training this week after a tough time of it with injury since moving to Plymouth.

The defender moved down to Plymouth last summer, joining from Aberdeen, but has only managed to make 12 appearances for the club across all competitions.

Freddie Issaka

Another player that returned to training this week is Freddie Issaka, but it has been confirmed that he will require a bit more time to get up to match fitness.

Truro-born Issaka, who has represented both England and Wales at youth international level, spent time on loan at both Bristol Rovers and then hometown team Truro City last season.

Owen Oseni

Owen Oseni is a third player that has returned from injury and resumed training this week but, again, like Issaka, he is expected to need more time to get to full fitness.

The former Saint Mirren striker provided more than useful contributions to Plymouth last season, and they will be keen to welcome him back into the fold as quickly as possible.

Bradford City

Aden Baldwin

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One key injury issue for Bradford is last week’s match winner at Hillsborough against Sheffield Wednesday, first-choice defender Aden Baldwin.

Baldwin missed the tie with Burnley in midweek with Alexander saying he did not train on Tuesday, but he is hopeful it is not too serious and perhaps just down to ‘fatigue’.

Tyreik Wright

Former Plymouth winger Tyreik Wright is another absentee for the visitors this weekend, having missed out against Wednesday and then in midweek versus Burnley.

Graham Alexander has confirmed that the attacker is set to be unavailable for ‘six to eight weeks’ as a result of a quad injury he sustained in training.

Stephen Humphrys

Another player that was not involved against Burnley is maverick attacker Stephen Humphrys, who missed a chunk of pre-season due to a calf injury and then missed the start of the campaign due to illness.

It is not yet known as to whether or not Humphrys will be fit enough to be involved for the West Yorkshire outfit as they make the long trip down to the south west.