Depleted Argyle can get a good result at Burton
Dewsnip sure Pilgrims can perform despite players missing on international duty
DIRECTOR of football Neil Dewsnip says there is no reason for Plymouth Argyle not to be confident about their game against Burton Albion on Saturday, even though two mainstays of the side will be away on international duty.
Defender Brendan Galloway and striker Luke Jephcott have been called up by Zimbabwe and Wales under-21s respectively.
Argyle could have asked for the League One fixture against Burton to be postponed had a third member of their squad been on international duty.
Read more: Argyle move to secure future of youngest-ever player Freddie Issaka
However, to the surprise of everyone at Home Park, Panutche Camara was not selected by Guinea-Bissau for their latest two 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
The strong-running 24-year-old midfielder has been in superb form for the Pilgrims during the first two months of the season.
Camara was selected by GuineaBissau for their first two World Cup qualifiers last month but did not join up with the squad because one of the games was in a UK Government red-list country - Sudan.
EFL clubs collectively decided not to release their players for games in red-list countries because it would have involved them having to quarantine on their return and miss three domestic matches.
With Camara not called up this time, Argyle have no option but to play Burton without Galloway and Jephcott, in addition to long-term injured duo James Bolton and Niall Ennis.
Defender James Wilson will replace Galloway after sitting out the 2-2 draw at Lincoln City on Saturday due to concussion.
Whether any of the trio of Conor Grant (hamstring), George Cooper (ankle) and Danny Mayor (thigh) will be fit to return to the squad is unclear.
Dewsnip: told Plymouth Live: “We are probably a little surprised that Panutche has not been called up, I think everybody would say, but that’s the way it is.
“This is why you have a squad, and this is why I think we are in a better place this season from last season.
“The squad is broader in terms of its quality so it will be an opportunity for two people to come in and take that opportunity.
“I don’t know what Ryan’s thinking, quite frankly, at this stage of the week but he will already have his plan.
“The team generally is performing well, I’m sure we would all agree, so it’s a good time for people to step in and it gives them an opportunity to succeed.”
When asked whether he thought it was unfair that Argyle had to play against Burton without two players that are away on international duty, Dewsnip had a simple and straightforward answer.
He said: “It doesn’t matter whether it’s fair or not, it’s a FIFA rule so we just have to deal with it.
“Listen, let me say, I think if we have got international players that’s a really positive sign for our football club. We just have to be confident that we can go and perform in the way that we have been doing without the two lads.
“We are playing well. We have got no reason other than to be confident, I’m sure Ryan would want everybody to think.”