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

Luton Town and Middlesbrough square off at Kenilworth Road on Tuesday evening with both clubs having seen their unbeaten Championship streaks come to an end on Saturday.

At a time when the Hatters went down 2-0 at Preston North End, Boro lost by the same scoreline at home to Birmingham City.

Match preview

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Having put together a five-match undefeated record in the second tier, Luton boss Nathan Jones will be frustrated with how his side fared at Deepdale.

The Welshman spoke openly about his disappointment on Saturday night, feeling that his squad had been given a wake-up call in their bid to remain in contention for promotion.

Nevertheless, Luton have already proven this season that they can bounce back with immediate effect, and home fixtures against Middlesbrough and Stoke City feel ideal ahead of the next international break.

That said, they need to show more ruthlessness at their home ground with just three wins coming from their seven outings on familiar territory.

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On the flip side, Luton face opponents in Middlesbrough who have only scored five times during the same amount of fixtures on the road.

Neil Warnock would have been unconcerned by his side still failing to net more than twice in a game this season had they made it four successive wins against Birmingham.

However, their issues in front of goal led to another disappointing reverse, a result which has left the North-East outfit down in 11th position.

With just six points separating fifth and 19th place, the margins for error are small, and Warnock will recognise that his team need to respond against opponents who have collected the same amount of points.

Given that Boro have only posted back-to-back defeats on one occasion this season, the veteran boss will be optimistic that they can remain contenders for the top six.

Team News

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Jones will consider making several changes to his Luton XI with Fred Onyedinma among those in contention for a recall.

Admiral Muskwe could be used down the middle of the attack, providing that Elijah Adebayo does not recover from the hamstring problem which kept him out at the weekend.

Luke Berry is likely to miss out again having sustained a knee injury last week.

Martin Payero and Uche Ikpeazu will both be assessed having picked up issues against Birmingham on Saturday.

James Lea Siliki is pushing for an opportunity in central midfield, while Duncan Watmore should come back into the attack.

Isaiah Jones could get the nod over Onel Hernandez at left wing-back.

Luton Town possible starting lineup:

Sluga; Lockyer, Bradley, Naismith; Bree, Clark, Mpanzu, Bell; Onyedinma, Muskwe, Cornick

Middlesbrough possible starting lineup:

Lumley; McNair, Bamba, Peltier; Tavernier, Siliki, Howson, Crooks, Jones; Watmore, Sporar

We say: Luton Town 1-1 Middlesbrough

With this game pitting one of the best Championship attacks against one of the most resolute backlines, we expect a competitive encounter. Warnock will fancy Boro's chances of bouncing back, but we are backing Luton to earn a deserved share of the spoils.