Luton Town will host Crystal Palace at Kenilworth Road on Saturday, looking to get their season back on track with a home win.
Luton Town are currently 17th in the Premier League table with just one win from 12 league matches heading into the game against Crystal Palace. The Hatters are in serious danger of going down this season.
So, Rob Edwards and his charges will need to improve their performances if they want to stay in the top flight next season. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace are 13th in the standings, and they are coming into this game on the back of just one win from the last five league matches.
Both teams are struggling right now and this is likely to be an evenly matched contest. That said, Crystal Palace are the better team on paper and should pull off an impressive away when here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
A first @premierleague trip to the Kenny on Saturday 👊 pic.twitter.com/aECF4vkkiE
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) November 21, 2023
Team News and Tactics
Luton Town
The home team will be without Mads Andersen, Albert Sambi Lokonga, and Reece Burke because of thigh injuries. Dan Potts will miss out with an ankle injury. Luton Town will likely shape up in their usual 3-4-2-1 formation, with Thomas Kaminski in goal.
Teden Mengi will start in the back three alongside Tom Lockyer and Gabriel Osho. Issa Kabore will start as the right wing-back, with Alfie Doughty taking his spot on the opposite flank. The two players will look to protect the central defenders and set up transitions.
Ross Barkley will start in middle of the park alongside Marvelous Nakamba. While Nakamba will look to break up the opposition attacks, Barkley will add creativity and drive to the side. Andros Townsend and Elijah Adebayo will start as the attacking midfielders, and they will look to drift into the wide areas as well. Finally, Carlton Morris will lead the line for Luton against Crystal Palace.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Kaminski; Mengi, Lockyer, Osho; Kabore, Barkley, Nakamba, Doughty; Townsend, Adebayo; Morris
Crystal Palace
The Eagles will be without Dean Henderson, who is a long-term absentee with a thigh injury. The Londoners are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Sam Johnstone in goal.
Joel Ward and Tyrick Mitchell will be deployed as the full-backs, and they will look to help out in the attack as well. Joachim Anderson will start alongside Marc Guehi at the heart of the Crytal Palace defence.
Will Hughes will start alongside Jefferson Lerma in the midfield pivot, and the two players will look to add defensive cover and drive to the side. Eberechi Eze should feature in his preferred central attacking midfield role.
The Crystal Palace talisman will look to create goalscoring opportunities with his creativity and flair. Michael Olise and Jordan Ayew will be deployed in the wings. Finally, Odsonne Edouard will lead the line for Crystal Palace.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Johnstone; Ward, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Hughes, Lerma; Olise, Eze, Ayew; Edouard
Key Stats
- Luton Town have failed to win their last six matches in the Premier League.
- Crystal Palace are winless in four of the last six Premier League matches.
- Luton Town have won three of their last four meetings against Crystal Palace.
- 11 goals have been scored in the last four meetings between these two sides.
- Luton Town have conceded 22 goals in 12 league matches this season.
Player to Watch
Eberechi Eze
🦅 Crystal Palace's highest rated players so far this season:
🥇 Eberechi Eze – 7.45
🥈 Joachim Andersen – 7.28
🥉 Jordan Ayew – 7.02#CPFC pic.twitter.com/wnid25n6eA— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) November 21, 2023
The 25-year-old midfielder has two goals and an assist in just eight league starts this season, and he will look to make his mark against Luton Town. The home team can be quite vulnerable defensively, and Eze will help create goal-scoring opportunities with his technical ability, flair and vision.
Luton Town are likely to sit deep and take a defensive approach. Crystal Palace will need the 25-year-old midfielder to step up and unlock the opposition’s defence. So, he is our key player to watch out for this weekend.
Prediction
Luton Town 1-2 Crystal Palace
The Eagles will be desperate to pick up all three points here. They should be beating teams like these if they want to push for our respectable finish this season.
On paper, they have the better team and they have been in better form as well.
Although both teams have been quite vulnerable in recent weeks, the away fans will be expecting the players to step up and grind out a result here. A narrow 2-1 away win is on the cards.
