Pleguezuelo is expecting a tough battle as Pilgrims fight for Championship survival

DEFENDER Julio Pleguezuelo can call upon the experience of two previous battles against relegation as he and his Plymouth Argyle team-mates fight to stay in the Championship.

The Pilgrims are 20th in the table, two points clear of the drop zone, going into their penultimate match of the season away to Millwall today before taking on Hull City at Home Park on Saturday, May 4.

Pleguezuelo, 27, had mixed fortunes in his previous two relegation fights, the first of which was when he was loaned to Mallorca in the Spanish second division from Arsenal in the 2016/17 season.

He made 11 starts and four substitutes appearances as Mallorca finished in 20th position following three successive draws at the end of the campaign and dropped into the third tier of Spanish football.

Pleguezuelo was loaned out to another Spanish second division side, Gimnastic, for the second half of the following season and played 10 times as the Tarragona-based club won their final three matches to avoid relegation and take 15th place.

On Argyle’s current battle for survival, Pleguezuelo said: “I have been in this situation before, but being on the other side trying to chase teams, and I can assure you it’s not a nice feeling playing games when even if you win might not be enough.

“I have also been on the side where I have been outside of the relegation zone and knowing it’s in our hands is less pressure in a way. In my experience, we are in a good situation. We have the team to do it and I’m pretty confident we are going to do it.”

Argyle suffered a hugely disappointing 3-0 away to Steven Schumacher’s

Stoke City last Saturday and will need to play much better against Millwall to get the win they are craving for, which could - depending on the results of Sheffield Wednesday, Birmingham City and Huddersfield Town - see them to safety.

Wednesday will welcome West Bromwich Albion to Hillsborough while Huddersfield are hosting Birmingham at the John Smith’s Stadium.

Looking ahead of the game at Millwall, Pleguezuelo said: “There is a lot to play for. The boys have been outstanding this week (in training), everybody is in a good mood. We are happy it’s still in our hands.

“We will be checking scores at halftime I’m pretty sure but most importantly it’s focusing on ourselves and trying to get the job done this weekend.

“Mainly we are focusing on our game but you always have in the back of your mind what are the other teams doing because even if we win, and the teams below us win, it’s still not mathematically done, so you are always a bit aware of what’s going on in the other stadiums as well.”

Millwall were under threat of relegation themselves not so long ago but three consecutive victories, and six wins from 11 games since Neil Harris was reappointed for a second spell as their boss, has seen them climb to 16th position and they will be in the Championship again next term.

Pleguezuelo said: “We have a game against Millwall that we know is going to be a pure battle. They are not going to make it easy for us.

“They are not really playing for anything. It’s their last home game of the season, they are going to want to get a win against us in front of their own fans, but we have a lot more to play for and we are going to go for it.”