Dumbfounded and disheartened in the wake of the indelible occurrences of Wednesday evening, Luton Town resumes play at Kenilworth Road on Saturday, as they welcome Nottingham Forest for a critical fixture in the Premier League relegation battle.
Rob Edwards’s team squandered a commanding 3-0 advantage in a remarkable 4-3 defeat against Bournemouth earlier in the week, while Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad is similarly reeling from a narrow loss by a single goal to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Match preview
Three months following the occurrence of Tom Lockyer’s distressing cardiac arrest during a football match, resulting in the postponement of the Bournemouth versus Luton Town game at the Vitality Stadium, the two clubs reconvened on Wednesday evening. This event took place in the presence of the recovering Hatters captain, whose attendance was warmly acknowledged by both sets of supporters.
Lockyer observed an astounding first-half performance from his team, which led to a three-goal advantage at halftime, courtesy of goals from Ross Barkley, Chiedozie Ogbene, and Tahith Chong. However, Rob Edwards’s team would later fall victim to a remarkable comeback rarely witnessed in the Premier League over the past two decades.
Bournemouth, through goals from Dominic Solanke, Ilya Zabarnyi, and Antoine Semenyo, managed to overturn their three-goal deficit, becoming only the fifth team in the history of the competition to achieve such a feat. While the Cherries’ remarkable turnaround deserved commendation, Luton’s significant collapse was equally accountable.
The defeat at the Vitality Stadium proved pivotal for the Hatters as they missed the opportunity to climb out of the relegation zone despite having a game in hand. Nonetheless, with a three-point deficit to close on their upcoming opponents, Nottingham Forest, they have been granted another opportunity to secure safety and will ascend to 17th place with a victory this weekend.
Despite ending January with three consecutive victories, Luton has now endured eight winless matches, conceding at least three goals in six of those encounters. However, their streak of scoring in 16 consecutive top-flight games is the best for a newly-promoted team since Newcastle United achieved a similar feat in the 1993-94 season, scoring in 20 consecutive matches.
While scoring goals has seldom been an issue for Edwards’s squad, Nottingham Forest struggled to find the back of the net for the second consecutive Premier League match, and the third across all competitions, at the Amex Stadium. This result mirrored their disappointing and controversial 1-0 defeat to Liverpool in a similar fashion.
Andrew Omobamidele’s own goal secured victory for Brighton & Hove Albion, although Forest’s manager was left frustrated after Jakub Moder avoided a red card for a dangerous tackle on Neco Williams. Despite their performance deserving more than a loss, Forest once again struggled to convert opportunities into goals, risking a three-game Premier League goal drought for the first time since 1999 and potentially ending the weekend in the relegation zone if they fail to win at Kenilworth Road.
Forest’s declining form can partly be attributed to concerns over a potential points deduction. Moreover, their record against newly-promoted sides has been subpar, with only one win in their last 18 Premier League encounters against such teams, drawing eight of their most recent nine away matches.
Additionally, Forest has not kept a clean sheet away from home in the top flight since October 7, conceding goals in their last nine away games. A 2-2 draw with Luton at the City Ground in October extended their winless streak against the Hatters to five matches.
Team News
In the midst of the tumultuous events unfolding in the second half of Wednesday’s match, Chong, who broke the deadlock, sustained an injury of undisclosed severity. Consequently, either Andros Townsend or Cauley Woodrow is expected to be prepared to fill his position for the upcoming match this weekend.
Chong may join the ranks of eleven other absent players for the beleaguered Hatters, who are certain to be without the services of Joe Johnson (glandular fever), Gabriel Osho (knee), Mads Andersen (calf), Jacob Brown (knee), Albert Sambi Lokonga (thigh), Elijah Adebayo (thigh), Dan Potts (thigh), Marvelous Nakamba (knee), Amari’i Bell (thigh), and Lockyer.
Given the limited options available, most of the starters from Wednesday night’s fixture under Edwards are expected to retain their positions at Kenilworth Road. However, there is a possibility that Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu might be favored as a makeshift defender over Daiki Hashioka, who faced significant challenges against Semenyo during the midweek encounter.
In contrast, Nottingham Forest has only four injured players currently under medical care, two of whom – Giovanni Reyna and Ola Aina – may potentially be fit for contention for the upcoming weekend fixture.
Nonetheless, Gonzalo Montiel (muscle) and Arsenal loanee Nuno Tavares (unspecified injury) are not anticipated to be available for selection. Nevertheless, Santo should not refrain from making several adjustments in the attacking third.
Taiwo Awoniyi, Anthony Elanga, and Callum Hudson-Odoi were all on the bench for the previous match at the Amex Stadium. However, it is expected that at least two of these players will now be considered to replace Chris Wood and Divock Origi, following yet another ineffective attacking performance.
Luton Town possible starting lineup:
Kaminski; Mpanzu, Mengi, Burke; Kabore, Barkley, Clark, Doughty; Woodrow, Ogbene; Morris
Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:
Sels; Williams, Omobamidele, Murillo, Toffolo; Dominguez, Yates; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Awoniyi