Luton Town will host Aston Villa at Kenilworth Road on Saturday, looking to end their losing streak with a positive result at home.
Luton Town are coming into the game against Aston Villa on the back of three consecutive league defeats. The home fans will be expecting a strong reaction from the players, and it remains to be seen whether they can bounce back strongly.
Luton are 18th in the league table, and they will need to pick up points to secure safety from relegation, with nearest challengers Nottingham Forest four points ahead. They cannot afford to keep dropping points if they want to preserve their status as a Premier League club next season.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa are fourth in the league table, with three wins from their last four league games. They will be desperate for Champions League qualification and cannot afford to drop points, with Tottenham breathing down their necks. Both teams will aim for the three points and this is likely to be a cracking contest.
Team News & Tactics
Luton Town
Luton Town will be without Tom Lockyer, who is recovering from his heart ailment. Marvelous Nakamba is sidelined with a knee injury, and both players are unlikely to play again this season.
Elijah Adebayo, Jacob Brown, and Albert Sambi Lokonga have picked up injuries as well, and they are set to miss out. Adebayo and Lokonga are recovering from thigh injuries, whereas Brown is sidelined with a knee problem. Amari’i Bell and Dan Potts will miss out with undisclosed problems as well. Mads Andersen is out with a calf injury.
Luton Town have several first team players ruled out with injuries against Aston Villa, and this will be a difficult contest for them. Thomas Kaminski will start in goal as the home team, who will line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation. In the back three, Teden Mengi will start alongside Gabriel Osho and Reece Burke.
Chiedozie Ogbene and Alfie Doughty will start as the wing-backs, looking to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Jordan Clark will start alongside Ross Barkley in central midfield, and they will look to add defensive cover and creativity to the side.
Carlton Morris and Tahith Chong will start as the attacking midfielders here, and they will look to create goal scoring opportunities in the final third. Cauley Woodrow will lead the line for the home team.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Kaminski; Mengi, Osho, Burke; Ogbene, Barkley, Clark, Doughty; Morris, Chong; Woodrow
Aston Villa
The visitors have their fair share of injury problems as well. Boubacar Kamara, Emiliano Buendia and Tyrone Mings are ruled out with knee injuries for the remainder of the season. Diego Carlos misses out with a thigh injury, Ezri Konsa will miss out with a knee injury, and Pau Torres might not be risked after complaining of pain down the back of his leg recently.
Aston Villa will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Luton Town, with Emiliano Martinez in goal. Matty Cash and Lucas Digne will start as the full-backs, and they will look to help out in the attack as well. Callum Chambers will start alongside Clement Lenglet at the heart of the defence.
Douglas Luiz and John McGinn will start in the double pivot in the middle of the park. They will look to add drive and defensive cover to the side. The two players will look to help out creatively as well.
Youri Tielemans will be deployed in the attacking midfield role, and the Belgian will look to control the proceedings in the final third with his passing and vision. Leon Bailey and Jacob Ramsey will start in the wide areas, and the two players will look to add drive and flair to the side. Finally, Ollie Watkins will lead the line for Aston Villa against Luton Town.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Chambers, Lenglet, Digne; Luiz, McGinn; Bailey, Tielemans, Ramsey; Watkins
Key Stats
- Luton Town have lost their last three matches in the Premier League.
- Luton Town have won nine of their past 11 home games versus Villa Aston in all competitions.
- Luton Town have been beaten in seven of their eight league matches this season against teams currently in the top six.
- Aston Villa have only lost one of 15 league games this season against teams currently in the bottom half of the table.
- Luton Town have scored in a club record 13 consecutive top-flight matches.
Player to Watch
Ollie Watkins
The 28-year-old has been in spectacular form this season, scoring 14 goals and picking up ten assists in the Premier League. He will look to continue his impressive run of form and make a big difference for Aston Villa in the final third.
The West Midlands club will look to him for creativity and goals, and it remains to be seen whether he can continue to deliver. Watkins has five goals and four assists in his last ten appearances for Aston Villa, and he is our key player to watch out for.
Prediction
Luton Town 1-2 Aston Villa
The home team have a depleted squad because of injuries. They are likely to struggle against a motivated Aston Villa side here. The away team will be desperate to secure Champions League qualification, and they need to win these games in order to finish in the top four.
This is likely to be a close contest with both teams getting on the score sheet, but the visitors have the quality to edge out eventually. A narrow away win is on the cards. The Hard Tackle predicts Aston Villa to beat Luton Town 2-1 on Saturday
