Cardiff City will be looking to bounce back from defeat in midweek by claiming all three points against Luton Town, when they do battle in the Championship at Kenilworth Road on Saturday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the hosts, who sit seven points clear of the visitors, are hoping to avoid a fifth successive league defeat against the Bluebirds.
Match preview
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For the third successive game, Luton failed to find the net as they played out a goalless draw away at Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night.
The Hatters are now winless from their last three Championship matches, which has seen them slip down to 12th in the table and six points behind the playoffs.
Nathan Jones's men have also struggled for goals on home soil against Saturday's opponents Cardiff, failing to find the net in each of their last three meetings with the Bluebirds at Kenilworth Road, including last season's 2-0 defeat in February.
After losing 1-0 to Stoke City in their most recent home league match, Luton will be hoping to avoid consecutive defeats on their own turf for the first time since re-joining the Championship in 2019-20.
Jones will be hoping that his side can return to winning ways this weekend before they face challenging fixtures against Blackpool and Fulham – two teams currently above them in the table – at the beginning of next month.
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Cardiff were unable to record their third successive league win on Wednesday night as they suffered a disappointing 1-0 loss at home to relegation rivals Hull City.
A 15th-minute strike from Keane Lewis-Potter – the visitors' only shot on target – was enough to edge out the Bluebirds, who were condemned to their 11th league defeat of the campaign.
Steve Morison's side have now moved down to 20th in the Championship standings, one place behind Hull on goal difference and just three points above the relegation zone.
Cardiff will be confident of returning to winning ways on Saturday, as they have an impressive record against Luton in recent years. The Bluebirds have won each of their last four league meetings against the Hatters, including both encounters last season by an aggregate score of 6-0.
The Welsh outfit have also kept a clean sheet in their last three away league games against Luton – a Chris Barker own goal in a 3-3 draw back in February 2006 was the last time that the Hatters scored against them at Kenilworth Road.
Victory for Cardiff this weekend would only see them move up one place in the table, if Hull were to drop points against Millwall, but they could move to within two points of 16th-placed Sheffield United, who they will face next in the Welsh capital.
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Team News
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Luton goalkeeper Simon Sluga missed the draw at Forest in midweek after being identified as a close contact of someone who tested positive for coronavirus while on international duty with Croatia.
The 28-year-old is unlikely to feature this weekend, with James Shea set to start again between the sticks as a result.
Defender Reece Burke and midfielder Luke Berry were also absent on Tuesday and remain doubtful due to injury.
Jones is unlikely to make too many changes to his starting lineup, though Amari'i Bell could be recalled at left wing-back at the expense of Fred Onyedinma, while forward Harry Cornick could start ahead of Admiral Muskwe.
However, Cameron Jerome – who has scored in each of his last five appearances against his former club Cardiff – will also be pushing to start up front.
As for Cardiff, Morison has no injury concerns for the trip to Kenilworth Road and will likely name a similar side to the one that he selected in midweek.
Youngsters Chanka Zimba and Isaak Davies have both been given chances in the first team since Morison took the reins, and both will be in contention to feature again on Saturday.
Mark Harris and Rubin Colwill, who both came off the bench against Hull, will also be hoping to force their way into the first XI and join target man Kieffer Moore up front.
Luton Town possible starting lineup:
Shea; Lockyer, Bradley, Naismith; Bree, Osho, Mpanzu, Lansbury, Bell; Cornick, Adebayo
Cardiff City possible starting lineup:
Smithies; McGuiness, Flint, Nelson; Ng, Vaulks, Pack, Giles; Harris, Colwill; Moore
We say: Luton Town 1-1 Cardiff City
Both Luton and Cardiff head into this contest after failing to score in midweek, however we can see the two sides finding the net on Saturday.
The Hatters have struggled in recent seasons against the Bluebirds, but having impressed more so than their Welsh counterparts in the Championship so far this season, they should be strong enough to claim at least a point on home soil.
Top tip
Oliver Thomas
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Luton Town win with a probability of 38.81%. A win for Cardiff City had a probability of 33.06% and a draw had a probability of 28.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a Luton Town win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.94%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.04%) and 2-0 (7.29%). The likeliest Cardiff City win was 0-1 (10.8%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.18%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 7.3% likelihood.
