Luton vs Aston Villa predicted XIs: Confirmed team news and probable lineups
Aston Villa will look to make it three wins in a row in the Premier League when they travel to Kenilworth Road to take on Luton Town on Saturday evening.
The Villans have improved their chances of qualifying for the Champions League in recent weeks and they are now five points clear of Tottenham, although Spurs do have a game in hand over Unai Emery’s side.
Meanwhile, Luton have lost four in a row in all competitions and will remain in the bottom three even if they record a win on home soil this weekend.
Aston Villa taking it ‘one game at a time’ in Champions League race
Aston Villa have some massive games coming up in the race to secure Champions League football, not least hosting Tottenham next weekend in a match sandwiched between a Europa Conference League clash with Dutch giants Ajax. However, Villa cannot afford to get complacent or look too far ahead, with Saturday’s trip to Kenilworth Road taking precedence.
Villa have beaten Fulham and Nottingham Forest in their last two league games to go back into fourth and five points ahead of next weekend’s opponents, but with Spurs holding a game in hand, any slip-up against Luton could be ruthlessly punished. A fact Unai Emery is all too aware of, with the Spaniard insisting he’s not taking the Hatters lightly.
“We are trying to focus each match and separate each competition. Of course, we are excited in the Premier League because of how we are progressively getting better and being committed to try and do all of our best,” Emery told reporters at his pre-match press conference.
“We are in the top four now and we know we have to be consistent in 38 matches. Each match we are going to face with three points, it’s only each match and tomorrow is Luton and it is the same point we have played against top teams, Arsenal and Man City for example. We are playing for the same points in Luton and that’s why we have to respect each match and opponent.
“Then, we are going to face the Europa Conference League. It is a way for a trophy, for Europe and for prestige too. The opponent is really experienced and is a historic club. We are focused on tomorrow and nothing more.”
BetMGM sign-up offer: Get £40 in bonuses when you bet £10
Not signed up to BetMGM yet? Here's how eligible readers* can take advantage of their welcome offer:
- Open an account at BetMGM using this link.
- Select the Sports Welcome Offer.
- Get the offer from the ‘My Offers’ page.
- Deposit and place a £10 bet at odds of 1/1 (2.0) or greater.
- When it settles, unlock £40 in bonuses
New customers only. 7 days to place qualifying bet of £10 at 1/1 (2.0) to receive 4 x £10 Free Bets. 7 day expiry. Exclusions apply. Stake not returned. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. 18+ GambleAware.org
Luton vs Aston Villa team news
Luton will expect Alfie Doughty to start this weekend after he recovered from a knock to start in Tuesday’s 6-2 FA Cup defeat to Manchester City. New arrival Daiki Hashioka also featured from the bench, but Mads Juel Andersen must pass a fitness test as he tries to recover from a calf problem.
Elijah Adebayo is expected to miss the contest but could return in March, while Marvelous Nakamba and Tom Lockyer remain sidelined for the foreseeable future.
Aston Villa boss Emery is without Tyrone Mings and Emiliano Buendia for the rest of the season, while Boubacar Kamara and Jhon Duran are also long-term absentees.
Diego Carlos and Ezri Konsa are pushing to return, but Saturday’s game is expected to come too soon for them.
Luton vs Aston Villa predicted line-ups
Luton (3-4-2-1): Kaminski; Burke, Mengi, Bell; Ogbene, Barkley, Mpanzu, Doughty; Clark, Chong; Morris.
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Konsa, Lenglet, Torres, Moreno; McGinn, Luiz; Bailey, Tielemans, Ramsey; Watkins.
