Luton Town will be desperate to return to winning ways when they take on Bournemouth at Kenilworth Road on Saturday.
The 2023/24 Premier League season resumes on Saturday with Gameweek 32, with the latest round of fixtures getting underway with the match between Crystal Palace and Manchester City at Selhurst Park. The action then continues with five simultaneous games, one of those seeing Luton Town hosting Bournemouth at Kenilworth Road.
Luton Town received two lifelines in the relegation battle, with Everton and Nottingham Forest receiving a points penalty each for breaching the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules. But the Hatters have fallen into the drop zone, with Nottingham Forest embarking on a three-match unbeaten run. So, Rob Edwards and his charges face seven finals in the business end of the 2023/24 season to retain their spot in the Premier League.
As for Bournemouth, they have enjoyed an excellent 2023/24 campaign. The Cherries were slow off the blocks, as they found themselves embroiled in the relegation dogfight after winning only one of their first 11 matches. However, they have lost only four more games since then while having the best record in the Premier League since early March. So, they are staring at the prospect of a top-half finish, with Andoni Iraola stamping his authority at the Vitality Stadium.
The reverse fixture was a pulsating encounter a few weeks ago that saw Bournemouth coming from three goals down to beat Luton Town 4-3, with Antoine Semenyo scoring the match-winning goal. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Luton Town
Rob Edwards does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Bournemouth on Saturday, the Luton Town manager should be bereft of the services of at least nine first-team players.
Gabriel Osho (knee) and Reece Burke (achilles) are close to returning to action. But Saturday’s game might have come too soon for the duo to feature from the get-go. But Mads Andersen (calf), Marvelous Nakamba (knee), Jacob Brown (knee), Amari’i Bell (thigh), Chiedozie Ogbene (thigh), Dan Potts (hamstring), Albert Sambi Lokonga (thigh), and Elijah Adebayo (hamstring) remain on the sidelines.
Meanwhile, club captain Tom Lockyer remains on the mend after suffering a heart attack in the original reverse fixture with Bournemouth. Luton Town should line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation on Saturday, with Thomas Kaminski taking his spot between the sticks. The central defensive trio should be Daiki Hashioka, Teden Mengi, and Issa Kabore.
Fred Onyedinma and Alfie Doughty should be the two wing-backs, with the duo flanking Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu and Ross Barkley in the middle of the park. Finally, Carlton Morris should lead the line for Luton Town against Bournemouth, with Andros Townsend and Jordan Clark supporting him in the attack.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Kaminski; Kabore, Mengi, Hashioka; Onyedinma, Mpanzu, Barkley, Doughty; Townsend, Clark; Morris
Bournemouth
Like his counterpart in the Luton Town dugout, Andoni Iraola does not have any new issues to deal with ahead of the trip to Kenilworth Road. The Bournemouth manager might be without four first-team players on Saturday.
Marcos Senesi (hamstring) and Chris Mepham (illness) are close to returning. While the latter should return, Iraola might ease Senesi back into the thick of the action. However, Ryan Fredericks is a long-term absentee due to a calf injury, while Luis Sinisterra is unavailable due to a thigh complaint.
Neto will take his spot between the sticks, with Bournemouth lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Luton Town. The backline should feature Mepham alongside Adam Smith, Illia Zabarnyi, and Lloyd Kelly.
As for the midfield unit, Lewis Cook and Ryan Christie should pair up in the double pivot, aiming to keep things tight in the middle of the park. Philip Billing will reprise the no. 10 role, with Antoine Semenyo and Justin Kluivert being the two wide attackers. Finally, Dominic Solanke will spearhead the Bournemouth attack on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neto; Smith, Mepham, Zabarnyi, Kelly; Cook, Christie; Semenyo, Billing, Kluivert; Solanke
Key Stats
- Luton Town won their last home league game against Bournemouth, beating them 3-2 in the Championship in January 2022. The most recent instances of the Hatters winning consecutive such games against the Cherries came in October 1936 and October 1963.
- Luton Town are without a win in their last four home Premier League games since a 4-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion at Kenilworth Road in January. The Hatters have conceded first in all four matches, having scored first in five of their previous seven on home soil.
- Bournemouth have won five away Premier League matches this season, as many as they had done last season. Only in 2015/16 did they emerge victorious in more games on the road in a single top-flight campaign.
- Since losing six out of seven away Premier League matches between May and November last year, Bournemouth have lost just two of their most recent nine on the road. They have netted 23 goals on the road this season, only scoring more in the 2018/19 Premier League campaign.
- There have been 48 goals scored in 15 Premier League matches at Kenilworth Road this season, with Luton Town finding the back of the net 22 times (26 for their opponents). Only five stadiums have seen 50+ goals scored in 16 or fewer games, most recently Blackpool’s Bloomfield Road in 2010/11.
Player to Watch
Ross Barkley
Dominic Solanke was a candidate for this section due to his exploits this season. Carlton Morris was another option amid his recent inconsistent displays. However, we have gone ahead with Ross Barkley, who will be the go-to man for Rob Edwards on Saturday.
The Englishman has been an exceptional signing for Luton Town, making the central midfield berth his own. The Hatters have looked their best this season whenever Barkley has been on song. So, his performance will go a long way in determining whether Luton Town can beat Bournemouth.
Prediction
Luton Town 1-2 Bournemouth
The match pits two teams on the opposite ends of the spectrum on form. While Bournemouth cannot put a foot wrong, Luton Town’s struggles are showing no signs of ending despite the team’s resilience.
Meanwhile, since returning to the Premier League in 2022, the Cherries have not lost a single match against a newly promoted club, winning two and drawing two last season and winning four out of five games this term. They have scored at least two goals in each of their most recent six.
Luton Town should take the game to Bournemouth and give the Cherries a run for their money. However, another engrossing meeting between the two teams should end in a win for Andoni Iraola and his charges, who should clinch a 2-1 victory this weekend.
