West Ham United will host Luton Town at the London Stadium on Saturday, looking to end their disappointing run of form.
West Ham United have failed to win their last four league games, and the home fans will expect a strong reaction from the players when they welcome Luton Town to the London Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Luton Town are in similar form as well, and they will be desperate to pick up a positive result here. Premier League survival is on the line, and the away side cannot afford any more slip-ups. They are three points adrift of 17th-placed Nottingham Forest, and a win here could prove to be priceless for them.
West Ham managed to beat Luton Town earlier this season, and it remains to be seen whether they can complete a leaked double over the Hatters. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
West Ham United
Kalvin Phillips misses out with a calf injury, and he should be the only absentee for the home side. West Ham United are likely to shape up in 4-2-3-1 formation against Luton Town, with Alphonse Areola in goal.
Vladimir Coufal and Emerson Palmieri will start as the full-backs. They will look to protect the central defenders and help out during the counter-attacks. Kurt Zouma will start in the central defensive unit alongside Angelo Ogbonna.
As for the midfield unit, Edson Alvarez will start alongside Tomas Soucek in the double pivot. The two players will look to break up the opposition attacks and win the ball back for their side. Lucas Paqueta will start in the attacking midfield role, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates in the final third.
Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus will be deployed in the wide areas. They will look to add goals and creativity from the flanks. Finally, Michail Antonio will lead the line for West Ham against Luton Town.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Areola; Coufal, Zouma, Ogbonna, Palmieri; Alvarez, Soucek; Bowen, Paqueta, Kudus; Antonio
Luton Town
Tom Lockyer has likely played the final game of his career due to his heart condition. Meanwhile, Marvelous Nakamba misses out with a knee injury, Jacob Brown has a cartilage injury, Dan Potts has a thigh injury. Amari’i Bell, Elijah Adebayo, and Chiedozie Ogbene are ruled out with hamstring issues.
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 West Ham United.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Kaminski; Hashioka, Burke, Doughty; Onyedinma, Berry, Barkley, Chong; Townsend, Clark; Morris
Key Stats
- Luton Town have failed to win 14 of their last 15 matches in the Premier League.
- West Ham United have conceded at least two goals in their last four matches in the Premier League.
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in West Ham United’s last three games in the Premier League.
- Both teams have scored in the last two meetings between these two sides.
- Jarrod Bowen needs one more goal to become West Ham United’s highest scorer in a Premier League campaign. His current tally of 16 is level with Paolo Di Canio’s record from 1999/00.
Player to Watch
Mohammed Kudus
The 23-year-old Ghana international has done quite well in the Premier League for West Ham, and he has seven goals and five assists in the Premier League this season. He is our key player to watch out for, and the Hammers will need him to step up and contribute in the final third if they want to win the game.
The former Ajax forward has proven very efficient while creating goalscoring opportunities and getting on the score sheet. Kudus is in impressive form right now, and he will look to make a definitive impact for West Ham against Luton Town.
Prediction
West Ham United 2-1 Luton Town
This is likely to be a close contest between two teams who are struggling. Neither side are at their best, and this is likely to be an evenly fought affair. West Ham United have more quality in the final third, and Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen could make a big difference for them. A narrow home win is on the cards here.
