Manchester City look to keep pace with Liverpool and Arsenal as they welcome Luton Town to the Etihad Stadium. Victory for City will take them back to the top of the table until at least Sunday when Liverpool and Arsenal take to the field. They face a Luton side who are making their first appearance in the top flight since 1992 and attempting to fight off an immediate return to the Championship.
The Blues recorded a 2-1 win at Kenilworth Road in December and returned there in February as they thrashed the Hatters 6-2 in the FA Cup, and Luton will no doubt be looking for revenge for those two defeats. They haven’t won at City since Raddy Antic’s last-minute goal in 1983, and a win could see leapfrog Nottingham Forest and Everton in the relegation battle.
Form
Luton won their second game of 2024 when they beat Bournemouth at Kenilworth Road last weekend. That win ended a run of 11 matches without victory, which included a 4-4 draw at Newcastle and that 6-2 home loss to City. Their previous win came on 30th January when they beat Brighton 4-0 at home.
Luton’s away form has been pretty dismal this season, winning just two and losing ten of their 16 games on the road so far this season. Their first victory away from home came in September when they won 2-1 at Everton, while a 3-2 win at Sheffield United saw the Hatters take their second three points on the road.
The visitors have not kept a clean sheet on the road all season and have scored 21 goals away from home, the highest scorers from any team in the bottom eight. However, they have the leakiest defence away from home, conceding 38 in total.
Danger Men
The Hatters have scored 54 goals in all competitions, with Carlton Morris and Elijah Adebayo responsible for nine each. Of the two, Adebayo has a better goal conversion rate with 32%, the highest in the team while Morris has a slightly better shot accuracy with 52%. Hopefully, they won’t have the finishing style, or luck, as Real Madrid.
Chiedozie Ogbene and Tahith Chong have five each and Ogbene has the highest shot accuracy in the team with 79%. Although he hasn’t scored as many as Adebayo and Morris, Chong could prove to be the most dangerous. The Dutch attacking midfielder has a goal conversion rate of 31% and a shot accuracy of 63%.
Alfie Doughty is leading the way with the assists. From 63 chances created, seven have been taken, while midfielder Ross Barkley is close behind on six. The former Everton and Chelsea star has attempted 1,421 passes, completing 1,209, which gives him a pass accuracy of 85%, the highest of Luton’s first team regulars.
City will also be aware of Andros Townsend. The midfielder scored a 30-yard volley for Crystal Palace in 2018 as the Eagles won 3-2 at the Etihad Stadium. He currently has three assists and one goal, but has a pass accuracy rating of an impressive 80%.
The Boss
Rob Edwards is the man in charge at Kenilworth Road, taking over in November 2022. He guided Luton from football wilderness to the Premier League in his first season, beating Coventry City 6-5 on penalties.
Edwards has managed 70 games for Luton, winning 25 and losing 26, giving him a win ratio of 36%.
Last Time Out
Two goals in three minutes by Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish saw the blues recover from 1-0 down to win 2-1, while in the FA Cup, five goals by Erling Haaland and a strike from Mateo Kovacic secured progression with a 6-2 win.
Last time at Maine Road ended 2-0 to City, thanks to goals by Paul Dickov and Tony Vaughan on 14th April 199. That result sent the blues into third place in the Third Division