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Match preview: Gillingham v Plymouth Argyle (Priestfield Stadium, Saturday 5:30pm kick off) By Fasika Zelealem

Despite already confirming survival this season, Gillingham will be keen to end the season on a high note.

Visitors Plymouth Argyle will be well supported for the game, backed by over 2,000 fans, but their hopes of making the play-offs are slim.

Plymouth need to make up a difference of three points and six goals over Charlton Athletic, who currently occupy the final League 1 play-off spot.

Gillingham's Max Ehmer against Plymouth's Ryan Taylor at Home Park in December Picture: Ady Kerry
Gillingham's Max Ehmer against Plymouth's Ryan Taylor at Home Park in December Picture: Ady Kerry

The Gills are five points ahead of the relegation zone and with no danger of going down, they head into their final game in relaxed mood.

Gillingham head into the match without a win from their last nine games.

Head to head;

Gillingham wins: 28 Draws: 16 Plymouth Argyle wins: 32

League form;

Gillingham (DLLDDD): Bristol Rovers (a) 1-1, Blackpool (h) 0-3, Rotherham United (h) 0-1, Oldham Athletic (a) 1-1, Blackburn Rovers (h) 0-0, Doncaster Rovers (h) 0-0.

Plymouth Argyle (LWDLDW): Scunthorpe (a) 0-2, Rotherham United (h) 2-1, Rochdale (a) 1-1, Northampton Town (a) 0-2, Portsmouth (h) 0-0, Peterborough (h) 2-1.

Last Meeting at Priestfield;

Gillingham 2 Plymouth Argyle 1- March 9th 2013

The last meeting between these two teams at Priestfield took place in League 2 back in 2013.

A 2-1 win for the Gills took them five points clear at the top of the table.

Gillingham went ahead through Antonio German and doubled their lead in the second half courtesy of a Chris Whelpdale goal.

Plymouth pulled one back 13 minutes from time through a Jason Banton strike but it wasn’t enough.

Gillingham's Elliott List scores his injury time equaliser against Bristol Rovers Picture: Ady Kerry
Gillingham's Elliott List scores his injury time equaliser against Bristol Rovers Picture: Ady Kerry

Last time out;

Bristol Rovers 1 Gillingham 1

Gillingham snatched a late draw at Bristol Rovers thanks to an Elliott List strike.

The substitute ran onto Conor Wilkinson's flick before beating two defenders and firing home in the 94th minute.

List's stoppage-time goal cancelled out Dominic Telford’s effort, with the Rovers player scoring what had looked to be the winner late on.

The draw, coupled with results elsewhere, meant the Gills escaped a last-game relegation decider.

Read Elliott List's reaction to scoring his first ever goal in senior football.

Team news;

Elliott List will be hoping he's done enough to win a starting place for the Gills after scoring the late equaliser last week against Bristol Rovers.

Boss Steve Lovell says he won't be making major changes for the match but still may be tempted to tinker.

Gillingham's equaliser at Rovers came with an assist from Conor Wilkinson and Lovell could decide to pair him up with List for their final match.

No fresh injuries have been reported, with only long-term absentees Billy Bingham and Aaron Morris missing.

Gillingham's Tom Eaves as Plymouth nick a last-minute winner at Home Park when the two sides last met, in December
Gillingham's Tom Eaves as Plymouth nick a last-minute winner at Home Park when the two sides last met, in December

From the opposition;

Plymouth's play-off hopes all but ended in the week, with a 2-0 loss to Scunthorpe.

Making the top six was always a big ask for Argyle, a team who sat bottom of the table back in October.

Since beating the Gills 2-1 back in December, Derek Adams' side have been on an impressive run, to push for a play-off spot.

They sit in seventh place and need goals this weekend while hoping Charlton lose their last game of the season against Rochdale. It's a long-shot.

Plymouth's form has dipped at the wrong time, winning just one of their last five and Adams believes injuries have been a key factor.

Speaking after Tuesday's 2-0 defeat at Scunthorpe, Adams said: "We ran out of players and eventually, it told. We didn’t perform to the standards we could. We’ve had a lot of games to play and a lot of travelling.

"I think if we had a fully fit squad, then we’d have had a better opportunity to finish in the play-offs. Injuries and suspensions have caused us a lot of problems, illness as well, and we just have to deal with it.

"We’ll see how we are before Saturday. We are struggling. There’s many of them who aren’t fully fit. We’re finding it difficult now to get fully fit players on the pitch.

"At the start of the season my remit was to keep us in the league. We’ve done that and we’ve gone ahead of all the promoted teams last season.

“The strongest team will go out on Saturday to win the game. We want to win by as many goals as we possibly can, to give us that possibility of still getting in the play-offs. I can’t give up if it’s mathematically possible."

Gillingham's Scott Wagstaff against Plymouth's Graham Carey Picture: Ady Kerry
Gillingham's Scott Wagstaff against Plymouth's Graham Carey Picture: Ady Kerry

One to watch;

Graham Carey is Plymouth’s top scorer and even more impressively is that he’s doing it from midfield.

The 28-year-old midfielder scored the winning penalty which secured a huge three points for Plymouth last Saturday against Rotherham.

The fans' favourite has hit double digits in goals every season he’s been at Home Park.

Carey arrived at Plymouth in 2015 from Ross County and subsequently won the club’s player-of-the-season award in his first year.

He signed a new contract at the club in June 2017, despite having offers from other clubs, but he remained loyal.

Gillingham's Tom Eaves against Plymouth's Ryan Edwards at Home Park, in December. Picture: Ady Kerry
Gillingham's Tom Eaves against Plymouth's Ryan Edwards at Home Park, in December. Picture: Ady Kerry

Fancy a punt?

The Gills are 21/10 with Sky Bet to win at the weekend while Plymouth are the 13/10 favourites.

A draw is priced at 23/10.

Plymouth need goals and a 4-0 away win is 50/1.

Elliott List got his first Gills goal last week and he's 11/4 to make it two in two with a goal against Plymouth.

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