Bristol Rovers v Plymouth Argyle
Sky Bet League Two, The Memorial Stadium, Tuesday 13th January 2026, 7pm KO
Bristol Rovers will look to progress to the quarter-finals of the Vertu Trophy when they host Plymouth Argyle at The Memorial Stadium.
The Pirates have had a break in fixtures after their Sky Bet League Two fixture against Barrow was postponed, but will go into the contest against the Pilgrims with confidence after beating Shrewsbury Town 3-0 on New Year's Day.
Fabrizio Cavegn, who scored his first two goals for the Gas in the Vertu Trophy, netted a second-half hat-trick to help Rovers cruise to victory. The Pirates will now shift their attention to the Vertu Trophy, aiming to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since the 2022/23 campaign.
Plymouth beat Burton Albion 3-0 in Sky Bet League One in their previous fixture, with Brendan Galloway, Mathias Ross and Lorent Tolaj all scoring.
Read everything you need to know about the fixture below...
Tickets...
Tickets are still available for our fixture at home to Plymouth!
Ticket prices start at £1 for U14s, £5 for U18s / U21s / Seniors and £10 for Adults!
Opposition...
Plymouth have had an upturn in form in recent weeks and will be looking to continue their momentum when they play Rovers on Tuesday night. Tom Cleverley's men have won four of their last seven fixtures in Sky Bet League One, losing just once in that time, to push from 23rd to 16th in the table. Back-to-back wins over Wycombe Wanderers and Rotherham United at the start of their good run display their ability to win tight games, with thumping victories over Doncaster Rovers and Burton Albion showing their attacking strengths.
Plymouth were placed in the same Vertu Trophy group as the Pirates, beating Cheltenham and Tottenham Hotspur U21s before losing to the Gas in their final fixture, handing them an away draw in the Round Of 32. They travelled to Leyton Orient and won 1-0, with a stoppage-time strike from Tolaj helping Argle into the next stage.
Plymouth's only January transfer action so far has seen Law McCabe return to Middlesbrough after a loan spell, with the 20-year-old playing 13 times across all competitions. The Pilgrims last played on January 4 2026, and also have a slightly extended break between fixtures as they do not play this weekend after being knocked out of the Emirates FA Cup by Wycombe in the first round.
Previous Meetings...
Rovers will be looking to repeat their win over Plymouth at The Mem in the Vertu Trophy from earlier this campaign. Kornel Szucs' red card inside two minutes gave the Gas an almost immediate advantage. However, it took Rovers until stoppage time to score the winner, with Kamil Conteh netting his first goal in blue-and-white quarters to secure the top spot for the Gas in the Southern Group B.
Before their meeting in November, Plymouth had been unbeaten in five fixtures across all competitions against Rovers, winning three and drawing two. Four of those meetings came in the 2022/23 campaign, with two meetings in the Vertu Trophy and two in Sky Bet League One.
The Pilgrims beat the Gas 4-3 on penalties in the cup after a 1-1 draw before the two teams tied 2-2 at The Mem in the league. Plymouth then secured back-to-back 2-0 triumphs over the Gas, first winning at The Mem in the quarter-finals of the Vertu Trophy before a home win in the third tier.
Overall, the two teams have met 111 times in competitive fixtures, with Rovers winning 34, drawing 36 and losing 41.
Officials...
Referee: Alex Chilowicz
Assistant Referees: Declan O'Shea and Thomas Harty
Fourth Official: Joseph Larkin
