Luton (A) Pre-match thoughts, team news, possible line-ups & prediction

First of all, we’d like to wish Luton captain Tom Lockyer all the best after he collapsed at Bournemouth last week. We hope he makes a full recovery and wish him good health in 2024.

After last week’s Champions League heartbreak, the pain continued on Tuesday with what can only be described as a Newcastle United nightmare at Chelsea. 90 seconds away from a potential semi-final with Middlesbrough and we threw it away.

Another tough one to take, to put it mildly, but we must move on, with our push towards the European places and Premier League form now the priority as we jump back into a busy spell of league fixtures.

Luton are a spirited side who’ve given every team they’ve played a good game at Kenilworth Road. They may have only picked up five points from their eight home games so far, but they took the lead against Man City, were seconds away from beating Liverpool and lost 4-3 to Arsenal thanks to a last-minute winner.

They’re physical, well organised and won’t make it easy, while our form on the road simply must improve if we have any chance of securing another top four finish. We’re imperious at St James’ Park – as last weekend’s 3-0 win over Fulham highlighted once again – yet we’ve lost five of our last six away games, scoring three and conceding 13 goals in that period.

Speaking ahead of the game, Howe said – “Luton is a very difficult place to go but we are looking forward to the game. They ran Arsenal close and got a draw against Liverpool. They are fully committed to how they play. Knowing the stadium like I do, it will not be an easy game for us. We will have to be at our very best. It will be an emotionally charged afternoon.”

Team news

Alexander Isak is rated as “50-50”, Anthony Gordon and Emil Krafth will be assessed after taking heavy knocks at Chelsea and Fabian Schar and Joelinton also look set for late tests, with the latter deemed less likely to make it.

Sven Botman is available for selection once again after 45 minutes in midweek. Harvey Barnes and Joe Willock won’t be back until the second half of January, while Elliot Anderson, Jacob Murphy, Nick Pope, Matt Targett, Sandro Tonali and Javier Manquillo remain out.

For the Hatters, tough-tackling midfielder Marvelous Nakamba is suspended after picking up five yellow cards, with captain Tom Lockyer absent as he recovers following a cardiac arrest collapse. 

Predicted XI

(4-3-3): Dubravka – Trippier, Lascelles, Botman, Burn – Miley, Bruno, Longstaff – Almiron, Isak, Gordon.

Howe insisted Trippier is ‘OK’ despite concerns over his wellbeing and he seems the sort of character who’ll be determined to play and put things right after Tuesday. He’s also good in the air, which could be key against a physical Luton side who like to get crosses into the box.

With that in mind, I see us going for the height of Lascelles, Botman and Burn, with the latter pair only playing 45 minutes each in midweek. Livramento could do with a game off after playing so much football over the past month, yet he may be needed in attack if Gordon fails his fitness test.

Up top, I have a sneaky feeling Isak will return. Howe insists there’s no new injury, just a slight feeling in his groin from tiredness, but he’s had a break over the last two games and could give Wilson a rest. Our number nine looked shattered as we tried to hold on at Chelsea and has started three games in seven days. We’d be asking for trouble if he was forced to go again.

Prediction

I expect this to be a real scrap; not the sort of game you want with so many bumps and bruises in the squad. However, I am hoping we use the pain of the past week to bounce back in the league and build on our 3-0 win over Fulham.

Bruno to score in a tight win and hopefully no more injuries! – Prediction: Luton 1-2 Newcastle