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Premier League: Luton Town vs. Brighton & Hove Albion – Luton Town and Brighton & Hove Albion will be bouncing into Kenilworth Road for Tuesday’s Premier League matchup, having just advanced to the fifth round of the FA Cup.
With a thrilling 2-1 victory over Everton on Saturday, the Hatters advanced in the cup, while Roberto De Zerbi‘s team crushed Sheffield United 5-2 to find their clinical edge again.
Nearly four months have passed since they defeated Everton 2-1 at Goodison Park to win their first-ever Premier League match.
Both teams’ recent histories will be duplicated in this Merseyside encounter on Saturday, giving Rob Edwards’ team a little more time to dream of a trip to Wembley.
Tim Krul, Luton’s stand-in goalkeeper, let Jack Harrison’s strike slip past him for the hosts’ equaliser after the unfortunate Vitaliy Mykolenko turned into his own net to open the scoring.
However, Cauley Woodrow saved the Dutchman’s bacon with the crucial goal six minutes into second-half injury time.
In addition to marking the team’s second straight 2-1 victory over Everton at their Goodison Park home, Luton’s historic victory on Saturday made it two wins on the road by that score in all competitions.
The team had previously defeated Bolton Wanderers in an FA Cup match on January 16 after leaving Burnley’s headquarters with a 1-1 draw.
Luton has gone four games without a loss in all competitions as a result of the winter’s dropping temperatures.
The Hatters have only lost one of their last seven games since December 23 and only need one more game to catch up to 17th-place Everton.
Although Edwards’ team has lost three of their last four Premier League home games, there was little shame in narrowly losing to Arsenal, Manchester City, and Chelsea.
The Toffees’ failure to defeat Fulham this week would therefore allow them to avoid the demotion trapdoor.
Luton has not lost a top-flight match by more than one goal since joining the Premier League, and they have only failed to open the score against Tottenham Hotspur.
Meanwhile, Brighton prepared admirably for their demanding Hatters test at Sheffield United’s Bramall Lane.
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recently signed Blades goalkeeper Ivo Grbic was truly put through his paces in goal, as Joao Pedro beat him three times, including twice from the penalty spot.
Pedro’s incredible hat-trick was followed by goals from Danny Welbeck and Facundo Buonanotte.
The way Brighton destroyed Sheffield United had echoes of Brighton’s third-round matchup with Stoke City, which ended in a 4-2 loss to the Seagulls.
However, De Zerbi’s team is still struggling offensively, as they have drawn their first two Premier League games of 2024 against West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
De Zerbi’s team is still in the running for consecutive continental qualifications despite the fact that Brighton has only won three of its last fifteen top-flight games.
They are currently in seventh place in the Premier League standings, three points ahead of West Ham in sixth.
Brighton’s Premier League debut away from home came in the form of a 0-0 draw with West Ham on January 2.
The Seagulls also easily defeated Luton on the first weekend of the new season, handily sending them packing with a 4-1 Amex thrashing.
Luton Town Premier League form:
L L W W L D
Luton Town form (all competitions):
W L D D W W
Brighton & Hove Albion Premier League form:
D L D W D D
Brighton & Hove Albion form (all competitions):
D W D W D W
Luton left Goodison Park with a fifth-round spot guaranteed and no further fitness concerns; however, captain Tom Lockyer and Marvellous Nakamba, a long-term knee injury sufferer, will not be returning to the field any time soon, and Gabriel Osho was not included in the squad to play Everton for unknown reasons.
As Issa Kabore’s Burkina Faso advanced to the Africa Cup of Nations knockout stages, Mads Andersen’s calf injury might not heal in time for the defender to play this weekend either, keeping the right-back out of action for a little while longer.
To increase Edwards’s bench options, midfielder Jordan Clark has returned from an FA Cup suspension; but, Woodrow’s incredible late winner at Goodison Park is unlikely to be enough to earn a spot in the Premier League starting lineup.
Igor, the centre back, made a welcome comeback from an Achilles injury during Brighton’s thumping of Sheffield United.
However, due to knee ailments, Solly March, Joel Veltman, and Julio Enciso will not play in Tuesday’s match.
Even though Ansu Fati, who is on loan from Barcelona, should be the first player out of the treatment room next month—Kaoru Mitoma and Simon Adingra are still competing at the Asian Cup and AFCON, respectively—he is still having trouble with his thigh.
Welbeck can provide a competitive option to Evan Ferguson in the closing third, and Bart Verbruggen ought to return the gloves to Jason Steele, even though Woodrow’s injury-time goal in the FA Cup may not warrant a start.
Luton Town possible starting lineup:
Kaminski; Mengi, Osho, Bell; Ogbene, Barkley, Lokonga, Doughty; Townsend, Adebayo, Morris
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Steele; Webster, Dunk, Igor; Hinshelwood, Gross, Gilmour, Estupinan; Buonanotte, Welbeck, Pedro
Our predictions for this match 2-1 won by Brighton & Hove Albion
