Preview: Luton Town vs Barnsley - prediction, team news, lineups

Aiming to keep their hopes alive of crashing the top six of the League One table in the final two games of the season, Luton Town will welcome Barnsley to Kenilworth Road on Saturday.

The hosts trail the final playoff place by three points with six left to play for, while their visitors have dropped to 13th spot in a three-game winless run.

Match preview

Luton Town return to action on Saturday aiming to ramp up their pursuit of the League One playoff spots in the final run-in, having kept their top-six hopes alive with a hot streak.

On the back of consecutive relegations from the Premier League, they looked set for a disappointing mid-table finish in early March, but they have since recorded six wins and two draws from their last eight league outings.

During that time, the Hatters also prevailed in the EFL Trophy final over Stockport County in mid-April, before making it four wins on the bounce in all competitions by beating Northampton Town.

A 2-2 draw away at Mansfield Town then followed last weekend, before Jack Wilshere's side kept themselves within touching distance of sixth spot with a 2-0 away win over Rotherham United on Tuesday, with Kasey Palmer netting both goals in the first half.

Now trailing sixth-placed Stevenage by three points with two games remaining, having previously looked out of contention to make an immediate return to the Championship, Luton must focus on continuing their hot streak with two more wins to end the season while hoping Stevenage drop points.

In their way stand a visiting side keen to return to the top half in the final weeks of what has been a disappointing season.

In their fourth straight League One campaign, having finished in the top six in the first two of those, Barnsley sit 13th with 56 points on the board from their 43 matches, winning 14 and losing 15 of those.

Any hopes of crashing the playoff spots ended in a six-match winless streak across March and early April, and the Reds have now managed just one win and nine points from their last 10 attempts.

That solitary victory away at South Yorkshire rivals Rotherham United was followed by consecutive draws, before Conor Hourihane's men visited sixth-placed Stevenage on Tuesday and left empty-handed as Dan Kemp condemned them to a 1-0 defeat with a 22nd-minute goal.

Now sitting 13th with just a top-half finish left to fight for, before Hourihane departs at the end of the season, Barnsley will hope to bounce back with a win on Saturday and begin to finish the League One campaign on a positive note.

Luton Town League One form:

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Luton Town form (all competitions):

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Barnsley League One form:

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Team News

Luton Town remain unable to call on Teden Mengi, Tom Holmes, Isaiah Jones, Shandon Baptiste and Elijah Adebayo as they are confined to the treatment room.

They will field a similar starting XI from the midweek away win at Rotherham, with Nahki Wells having come back into lead the line, while Palmer remains a key man in support having scored four goals in the last four league games.

Mads Andersen also missed out through injury on Tuesday, and if his absence continues Nigel Lonwijk, Hakeem Odoffin, Kal Naismith and Joe Johnson should form an unaltered back four.

Barnsley will likely remain without winger Tawanda Chirewa and key attacker David McGoldrick due to injuries.

In the absence of the latter, Tom Bradshaw should again lead the line, with Adam Phillips hoping to come back in in support after Reyes Cleary, Patrick Kelly and Scott Banks were preferred in midweek.

Midfielder Vimal Yoganathan remains suspended, meaning Jonathan Bland and Luca Connell should continue their partnership in the engine room, while Josh Earl should be back in contention in defence after another injury scare.

Luton Town possible starting lineup:

Keeley; Lonwijk, Odoffin, Naismith, Johnson; Walsh, Van Den Berg; Morris, Palmer, Kodua; Wells

Barnsley possible starting lineup:

Goodman; De Gevigney, Roberts, O'Connell, Earl; Connell, Bland; Kelly, Phillips, Cleary; Bradshaw

We say: Luton Town 3-1 Barnsley

With the visitors seemingly coasting towards the end of an underwhelming season, and the hosts going from strength to strength in their late playoff pursuit, we back Luton Town to extend their unbeaten streak and keep the pressure on the top six with another win at the weekend.

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