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

Luton Town will welcome Bradford City to Kenilworth Road on Saturday for a key battle at the top end of the League One table.

A victory last time out saw the hosts climb up to seventh spot and remain within six points of the playoff places, while their visitors bounced back with a win of their own to stay fifth.

Match preview

Luton Town return to League One action on Saturday aiming to ramp up their pursuit of the playoff places, having bounced back with an important win last weekend.

Setting their sights on an immediate return to the Championship after consecutive relegations from the top flight, the Hatters have experienced a mixed start to life back in League One and life under Jack Wilshere, who took charge in mid-October.

After 29 outings, they find themselves seventh with 42 points on the board, having headed into last weekend on the back of consecutive 1-0 losses to Plymouth Argyle and Huddersfield Town, leaving them on 11 victories and 11 defeats for the season ahead of a home meeting with Blackpool in late January.

Wilshere's men would prevail in a one-goal triumph of their own in that game, though, taking all three points as Jordan Clark scored the only goal 19 minutes from time.

Now sitting seventh thanks to that return to winning ways, and trailing sixth-placed Huddersfield Town by six points and their fifth-placed visitors by seven, Luton Town will be desperate to put a winning run together in the coming weeks to crash the playoff spots.

Their visitors, meanwhile, head to Kenilworth Road aiming to extend their lead over the hosts after a crucial return to winning ways of their own.

After earning promotion from League Two last time around, Bradford City found themselves firmly in League One's top-two race at the turn of the year, having amassed 43 points from their first 22 games back in the third tier including 12 wins and just three defeats.

The Bantams would hit a slump in January, though, going on to win one and lose four of their first five games of the year, culminating in three straight defeats to Cardiff City, Huddersfield Town and Lincoln City to drop away from the automatic promotion places.

Doncaster Rovers then visited the University of Bradford Stadium on Saturday, and Graham Alexander's side would end their losing run, taking all three points as Tyreik Wright broke the deadlock and earned them all three points nine minutes from time.

Still sitting fifth thanks to that bounce-back, but now trailing the top two by nine points and only leading the seventh-placed hosts by seven, Bradford must focus on rebuilding form to solidify their top-six standing.

Luton Town League One form:

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Luton Town form (all competitions):

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Bradford City League One form:

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Team News

Luton Town will remain without Shandon Baptiste and Elijah Adebayo on Saturday due to ongoing long-term injuries.

Jack Wilshere should avoid making major changes after last weekend's win over Blackpool, although Jake Richards, Ali Al Hamadi and Isaiah Jones will compete for attacking starts.

Nahki Wells should continue to lead the line, though, with support from the likes of Gideon Kodua and Jordan Clark, who have scored a combined tally of 17 league goals this term, while January arrival Kasey Palmer should again get the nod over George Saville in the engine room.

Bradford City continue to contend with injuries of their own, with Nick Powell and Will Swan sidelined.

Paul Mullin and Tyreik Wright will compete to come into the attack, having come off the bench last weekend with the former debuting and the latter scoring, while Kayden Jackson, Bobby Pointon and Stephen Humphrys will all hope to keep their places.

Max Power and Jenson Metcalfe have been mainstays in the engine room in recent months, while Matthew Pennington, Aden Baldwin and Curtis Tilt will line up in an unaltered back three after last weekend's clean sheet.

Luton Town possible starting lineup:

Keeley; Lonwijk, Andersen, Mengi, Johnson; Palmer; Morris, Kodua, Clark, Jones; Wells

Bradford City possible starting lineup:

Walker; Pennington, Baldwin, Tilt; Neufville, Power, Metcalfe, Touray; Jackson, Humphrys, Pointon