Preview: Luton Town vs. Wycombe Wanderers - prediction, team news, lineups

Luton Town welcome Wycombe Wanderers to Kenilworth Road having dropped outside of the Championship top six courtesy of their derby defeat at Watford last weekend.

As for the visitors, they take on the Hatters after losing their opening three matches in the second tier without scoring a goal.

Match preview

Despite their outstanding start to the season, Nathan Jones would have been realistic about his Luton Town side eventually enduring blips somewhere down the line.

Those have occurred in back-to-back matches against Manchester United in the EFL Cup and last week's meeting with Watford, who prevailed by a 1-0 scoreline at Vicarage Road.

Nevertheless, Jones will remain optimistic regarding the task in hand, and the Hatters will know that success at the weekend will move them back into the playoffs.

While it is still very early days, staying in contention at the top end of the table keeps Luton away from the drop zone, something which remains their priority target as they bid to further establish themselves at this level.

Wycombe boss Gareth Ainsworth had full belief that his close-knit squad would have picked up at least one point from their opening three matches against Rotherham United, Blackburn Rovers and Swansea City.

However, the minnows of the division have barely laid a glove on any of those teams, failing to register a single goal at a time when they have conceded eight times at the other end of the pitch.

There was the hope that their underdog status would benefit them, especially during the opening weeks of the season when other teams were bidding to get up to speed, but it has not worked out that way for the Buckinghamshire outfit.

Saturday's game is one which Ainsworth would have identified as a must-win ahead of the beginning of the campaign, but he would now be more than satisfied with avoiding defeat against one of the highflyers.

Luton Town Championship form: WWL Luton Town form (all competitions): WWWWLL

Wycombe Wanderers Championship form: LLL Wycombe Wanderers form (all competitions): DLLL

Team News

Darius Charles is in contention to return in the Wycombe defence after serving a one-match suspension.

Playmaker Daryl Horgan could be handed a recall to the side, potentially at the expense of Matt Bloomfield.

Jordan Clark appears in line to take the place of Elliot Lee after playing the final half hour against the Hornets.

Kazenga Lualua is also pushing for a start, but Jones will be against making too many alterations to his Luton side.

Luton Town possible starting lineup: Sluga; Cranie, Pearson, Bradley, Norrington-Davies; Berry, Mpanzu, Tunnicliffe; Cornick, Collins, Lee

Wycombe Wanderers possible starting lineup: Allsop; Grimmer, Stewart, Tafazolli, McCarthy; Wheeler, Adeniran, Freeman, Onyedinma; Horgan; Samuel

We say: Luton Town 2-1 Wycombe Wanderers

Wycombe need to break their duck at some stage this season, and Ainsworth may feel that they can take advantage of Luton's recent drop-off in form. However, the Hatters are most dangerous in tight matches, and they should have enough character within their ranks to edge out their next opponents.

Top betting tip

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