Preview: Cardiff City vs Luton Town - prediction, team news, lineups

League One Cardiff City welcome Luton Town to South Wales on Saturday afternoon, aiming to extend their advantage at the summit to five points.

The Bluebirds made it 10 league games unbeaten with a commanding 3-0 victory over Rotherham United, while the Hatters recorded back-to-back wins thanks to a hard-fought 2-1 success against Bradford City.

Match preview

Despite being reduced to 10 men after just 21 minutes, Brian Barry-Murphy's Cardiff City ensured they remained at the top of the table with an impressive 3-0 win over League One strugglers Rotherham United.

Goals from Omari Kellyman, Chris Willock and Isaak Davies sealed a 19th league victory of the campaign, leaving the Bluebirds two points clear at the top on 63 points.

The main objective for Barry-Murphy and his side this season has been to secure an immediate return to the Championship, following their relegation to League One last season.

One reason why the Bluebirds have enjoyed so much success is their attacking output and defensive solidity.

No side has scored more than their 55 league goals or conceded fewer than their 29, highlighting their immense quality all over the pitch.

As for Luton Town, they have enjoyed an upturn in form since replacing Matt Bloomfield with Jack Wilshere in October.

After 24 games in the Hatters dugout, Wilshere has won 11, drawn six and lost seven.

Coming in at a time where a playoff finish seemed unlikely, Luton Town find themselves four points off sixth-placed Bradford City, the side they beat at the weekend, with just 16 fixtures left to be played.

Saturday’s triumph marked their second consecutive League One victory, bringing an end to a difficult spell in which they had gone four matches without a win in all competitions.

While Luton’s home form at Kenilworth Road has been strong, their away performances have been less convincing and will need improvement if they are to mount a serious late push for the playoffs.

Saturday will mark the second time these two sides have met this season, with Cardiff City winning the reverse fixture 1-0 back in August.

Cardiff City League One form:

D W D W D W

Luton Town League One form:

W D L L W W

Luton Town form (all competitions):

L D L L W W

Team News

Cardiff appear to have emerged from their latest outing without fresh injury concerns, but suspensions will force at least one change.

Ryan Wintle was sent off just 21 minutes into Saturday's win and will miss the game against Luton.

Despite their free-scoring form, they will continue to be without their top scorer, Yousef Salech, who is recovering from a neck injury.

Expect Joel Colwill to remain in midfield while his brother is still set to miss out after an injury suffered on international duty back in November.

Luton Town appear to have come away from their latest clash with no further injuries, although they remain without several first-team players.

Long-term absentees Shandon Baptiste and Elijah Adebayo remain on the sidelines.

Goals from Jake Richards and Shayden Morris last time out should mean they keep their spots in the XI for this one.

Cardiff City possible starting lineup:

Trott; Ng, Fish, Chambers, Bagan; J. Colwill, Robertson; Davies, Kellyman, Willock; Robinson

Luton Town possible starting lineup:

Keeley; Lonwijk, Andersen, Mengi, Johnson; Palmer; Morris, Richards, Clark, Kodua; Cole

We say: Cardiff City 3-1 Luton Town

Both at the top end of the table, these sides come into this clash similarly matched. With that said, Cardiff City are top of the table for a reason, and we expect them to have enough quality on the day to see off Luton Town.

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