Fresh from progressing to the fifth round of the FA Cup, Luton Town and Brighton & Hove Albion will clash at Kenilworth Road for their Premier League encounter on Tuesday.
Luton secured a dramatic 2-1 win over Everton in the cup, while Brighton rediscovered their clinical touch with a 5-2 victory over Sheffield United.
Match Preview
It has been almost four months since Luton earned their first-ever Premier League win against Everton at Goodison Park. In their recent meeting, Luton once again triumphed over Everton, giving them hope of a Wembley journey.
Luton took the lead through an own goal, but Everton equalized with a goal that slipped under Luton’s stand-in goalkeeper. However, Cauley Woodrow secured the winning goal in injury time of the second half.
This victory against Everton marked Luton’s second consecutive 2-1 win at Goodison Park and their second consecutive away win by the same scoreline. They also had a draw against Burnley and a win against Bolton Wanderers in the FA Cup.
Luton has been performing well recently, going unbeaten in four games across all competitions and losing only one of their last seven matches. They are currently just one point behind 17th-placed Everton in the league standings.
While Luton has suffered defeats in three of their last four home games, losing to Arsenal, Manchester City, and Chelsea, these losses were not disgraceful. They have shown resilience against strong teams.
Since their promotion to the Premier League, Luton has never lost by more than one goal at Kenilworth Road, except in their match against Tottenham Hotspur. They have also scored against every opponent except Tottenham.
Brighton prepared for the Luton test by thrashing Sheffield United 5-2. However, offensive consistency has been an issue for Brighton, as they failed to score against West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers in their previous Premier League fixtures.
Although Brighton has only won three of their last 15 Premier League games, they remain in contention for a European qualification spot, currently occupying seventh place with a three-point gap to sixth-placed West Ham.
Brighton registered their first away clean sheet in the Premier League this season with a goalless draw against West Ham on January 2. In their first encounter with Luton this season, Brighton won convincingly with a 4-1 victory.
Team News
Luton has no additional fitness concerns after their FA Cup win over Everton. However, captain Tom Lockyer and Marvelous Nakamba will remain sidelined due to injury, while Gabriel Osho was absent from the squad for undisclosed reasons.
Defender Mads Andersen is unlikely to recover from a calf problem in time for the match, and Issa Kabore will be unavailable due to his national team commitments in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Midfielder Jordan Clark returns from suspension, but Cauley Woodrow’s late winner against Everton may not earn him a place in the starting lineup.
Brighton saw the return of centre-back Igor from an Achilles issue in their victory over Sheffield United.
However, Solly March, Joel Veltman, Julio Enciso, and Ansu Fati are still recovering from knee injuries. Kaoru Mitoma and Simon Adingra are participating in Asian competitions.
Luton Town Possible Starting Lineup:
Kaminski;
Mengi, Osho, Bell;
Ogbene, Barkley, Lokonga, Doughty;
Townsend, Adebayo, Morris
Brighton & Hove Albion Possible Starting Lineup:
Steele;
Webster, Dunk, Igor;
Hinshelwood, Gross, Gilmour, Estupinan;
Buonanotte, Welbeck, Pedro
Prediction: Luton Town 1-2 Brighton & Hove Albion
Luton Town, known for their threat from crosses and set-pieces, will rely on their home advantage to overpower Brighton, who have shown inconsistency in both attack and defense during the winter period.
However, Brighton’s previous 4-1 victory over Luton demonstrates their ability to breach the Luton backline. If Brighton can maintain their offensive momentum from their recent win against Sheffield United, they have a good chance of securing a rare Premier League victory.
