Luton Town will host Brentford at Kenilworth Road this weekend, looking to bounce back from the defeat against Manchester City.
Luton Town are winless in five of their last six league matches, and they will need to start picking up points if they want to preserve their status as a top-flight club next season, with Brentford presenting the next challenge.
The Hatters are 18th in the Premier League standings, and they cannot afford to keep faltering at this stage of the season. On the other hand, Brentford are 15th on the table, and they are unbeaten in their last four league matches.
The Bees ended they are winless streak with a win over Sheffield United in the last game, and they will look to build on that performance and grind out all three points here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Luton Town
Tom Lockyer is ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering a heart ailment a few months ago. Marvelous Nakamba misses out with a knee injury, while Jacob Brown has had an operation after a problem with his cartilage. Meanwhile, Dan Potts misses out with a thigh injury.
Amari’i Bell, Elijah Adebayo, and Chiedozie Ogbene are ruled out with their respective hamstring issues. Meanwhile, Luton Town will shape up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Thomas Kaminski in goal. In the back three, Daiki Hashioka will start alongside Reece Burke and Alfie Doughty.
Fred Onyedinma and Tahith Chong will start in the wide areas, and they will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Luke Berry will start alongside Ross Barkley in the central midfield pairing. The two players will look to help out defensively and create goalscoring opportunities for their teammates as well.
Andros Townsend and Jordan Clark will start as the attacking midfielders here. They will look to add creativity and control in the final third. Finally, Carlton Morris will lead the line for Luton Town against Brentford.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Kaminski; Hashioka, Burke, Doughty; Onyedinma, Berry, Barkley, Chong; Townsend, Clark; Morris
Brentford
Joshua Dasilva is ruled out for rest of the season with a knee injury, while Aaron Hickey misses out with a thigh injury. Rico Henry misses out with a knee injury and Ben Mee has an ankle problem.
Brentford will shape up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Mark Flekken in goal. Mads Roerslev and Sergio Reguilon will start in the full-back positions, and they will look to contribute in the attack and help out defensively as well. Ethan Pinnock will start at the heart of the defence alongside Nathan Collins.
As for the midfield unit, Vitaly Janelt will start as the defensive midfielder, and he will look to break up opposition attacks. Mathias Jensen will add defensive cover alongside him, and Mikkel Damsgaard will look to add creativity and drive to the side. Finally, Ivan Toney will lead the line for Brentford, with Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa on either side of him.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Flekken; Roerslev, Collins, Pinnock, Reguilon; Jensen, Janelt, Damsgaard; Mbeumo, Toney, Wissa
Key Stats
- Brentford have won their last three matches against Luton Town in all competitions.
- Luton have failed to win 11 of their last 12 matches in the Premier League.
- Luton Town have seen over 2.5 goals in five of their last six matches against Brentford in all competitions.
- 21 goals have been scored in the last six matches between Luton Town and Brentford.
- Brentford are unbeaten in their last four Premier League matches.
Player to Watch
Bryan Mbeumo
The 24-year-old is one of Brentford’s best players, and he has eight goals and three assists in 17 league starts this season. The Cameroon international will look to create goalscoring opportunities in the final third and add to his goal tally. He should be able to exploit Luton Town’s defensive vulnerabilities and help his team win the game.
Prediction
Luton Town 1-2 Brentford
Brentford are the better team here, and they have been difficult to beat in recent outings. They should be able to grind out all three points here. The Bees have the quality to expose Luton Town’s defensive vulnerabilities, and the home team will struggle to contain the likes of Bryan Mbeumo and Ivan Toney here. A narrow away win is on the cards this weekend.