Newcastle United will look to get their recent EFL Cup and Champions League exits out of their system when they travel to Kenilworth Road for a Premier League clash with Luton Town.
Newcastle United will make the long trip to Kenilworth Road on Saturday afternoon to face relegation battlers Luton Town in what will be their final match before Christmas.
December has been very difficult for the Magpies, with mounting injuries and the extra demands of European football finally taking a toll on Eddie Howe’s squad and their style of play.
After a gut-wrenching elimination from the UEFA Champions League, Eddie Howe’s side got back to winning ways at the weekend as 17-year-old teenage sensation Lewis Miley became the Magpies’ youngest-ever Premier League goalscorer in the 3-0 victory against Fulham.
There was another confidence blow on Tuesday night when vice captain Kieran Trippier’s uncharacteristic late blunder allowed Chelsea to take their EFL Cup quarter-final tie to penalties, where the England international was among the stars to miss his spot-kick in a 4-2 shoot-out defeat.
The mood in the Newcastle United squad will not be the best at this moment in time. But they have no time to feel sorry for themselves as they travel to Luton Town on Saturday afternoon before a hectic festive period gets underway.
Luton Town, meanwhile, saw their last game against Bournemouth get abandoned and wiped away after captain Tom Lockyer suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch. The fixture will be replayed in full at a later date.
Despite having a game in hand on their fellow relegation battlers, the Hatters are still 18th in the table and will remain there regardless of the results this weekend — Nottingham Forest boast a five-point advantage.
Having put on a resilient performance in their last two home losses, the hosts will be looking for a positive result here to cut the gap in the safety zone, and it remains to be seen whether they can grind out a victory. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Luton Town
Captain Tom Lockyer will be missing after he collapsed in the second half of Luton’s clash against Bournemouth on Saturday, with whether or not he can resume his football career at some point in doubt. The 29-year-old has been released from the hospital and has had an implantable cardioverter defibrillator fitted, a device used to treat people with dangerously abnormal heart rhythms.
Defenders Reece Burke and Dan Potts are unlikely to feature but are making good progress in their respective recoveries from thigh issues. But Cauley Woodrow should be back in contention after returning to training following a calf injury.
The hosts will shape up in a 3-4-3 formation, with Thomas Kaminski in goal. Lockyer’s spot at the heart of central defence in the back-three alongside Teden Mengi and Amari’i Bell should be filled by Gabriel Osho.
Alfie Doughty and Issa Kabore will start as the wing-backs. The duo will look to protect the central defence and help out in counter-attacks. Ross Barkley will be the driving force in the middle of the park alongside Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu. Jacob Brown and former Newcastle attacker Andros Townsend will start as the wingers here, with Elijah Adebayo leading the line.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Kaminski; Mengi, Osho, Bell; Kabore, Mpanzu, Barkley, Doughty; Townsend, Adebayo, Brown
Newcastle United
Newcastle United are dealing with a slew of injury concerns ahead of their Premier League trip to Luton Town. Tuesday’s Carabao Cup exit to Chelsea left Eddie Howe with even more questions and selection dilemmas, having already left Joelinton (thigh), Fabian Schar (glute), and Alexander Isak (groin) out of the trip to London.
Joe Willock (calf), Javi Manquillo (groin), Nick Pope (shoulder), Harvey Barnes (foot), Jacob Murphy (shoulder), Elliot Anderson (back), and Matt Targett (thigh) make up the Magpies’ treatment room, while Sandro Tonali continues to serve his betting suspension.
Gordon and Emil Krafth picked up knocks in midweek, with the Swede described by Howe as “sore” after suffering a “nasty gash on his shin” under a tackle from Levi Colwill. Both will be checked before playing Luton Town, with Gordon making it until the 52nd minute at Stamford Bridge before leaving after labouring to chase down a pass.
Eddie Howe could welcome Isak back after he narrowly missed out on the Chelsea defeat with a niggling groin issue, which has kept him out of the last two games. The Swede is likely to replace Gordon on the left flank, with veteran Matt Ritchie the only other wide option.
Sven Botman played half of the match against Chelsea, which suggests he should be good to start this weekend, slotting alongside skipper Jamaal Lascelles at the heart of the defence. Marauding left-back Valentino Livramento played the entire Chelsea match and has barely had a breather lately. So, Howe could save him for the Boxing Day clash against Nottingham Forest and use Burn instead at left-back.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Dubravka; Trippier, Lascelles, Botman, Burn; Miley, Guimaraes, Longstaff; Almiron, Wilson, Isak
Key Stats
- This will be only the second meeting between these two sides in any competition this century, with the Magpies running away with a 3-1 victory in the FA Cup in January 2018.
- Luton Town have lost their last three Premier League matches.
- Newcastle have lost four of their last five games in all competitions.
- Newcastle United have won just one of their past 10 Premier League away games, though that was an 8-0 demolition of Sheffield United.
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in Luton’s last four Premier League games.
Player to Watch
Callum Wilson
Callum Wilson has been Newcastle’s saviour even before the takeover, and he has a knack for scoring clutch goals to get his team out of trouble. He has held his own for the Magpies in the midst of their struggles and has now netted seven Premier League goals this season. The striker had also been on the scoresheet four times in the last five Premier League away matches.
Having Wilson in and around the squad is a big boost for head coach Eddie Howe, who has been down to the bare bones of late. With Alexander Isak and Wilson potentially pairing up top together, Newcastle United will be hoping to stitch together a winning run over the festive period.
Prediction
Luton Town 0-2 Newcastle United
The Magpies are juggling with a myriad of injury problems and will be running on fumes after losing to Chelsea on penalties in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night, but should still have enough to get past Luton, who, for all of their resilient and spirited displays, are struggling to see out favourable results to boost their topflight survival prospects.