Aston Villa will be looking to strengthen their hold of fifth position in the Premier League standings when they play host to Luton Town on Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile, each of Luton's five points in this division have come in their last four games, giving them confidence ahead of a second successive trip to the Midlands.
Match preview
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When Villa and West Ham locked horns last weekend, it felt like something of a crossroads match with both teams possessing the squads to push for the top five this campaign.
However, it was Villa who showed the superior ruthlessness and class, surging to a 4-1 victory that has created a three-point gap over sixth and kept them within four points of top spot.
Villa have now netted an astonishing 17 goals in just four league games at Villa Park, making it 11 successive victories at their West Midlands base.
Unai Emery resisted the temptation to make mass changes for the Europa Conference League tie at AZ Alkmaar which followed, with Villa replicating their 4-1 triumph versus the Hammers in what was arguably the eye-catching result of this week's European fixtures.
There are ambitions for Villa to achieve a top-five spot and win that particular competition during 2023-24, and that will realistically require them to take advantage of such fixtures like the one on Sunday.
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Nevertheless, while a home encounter with Luton is the easiest of any team's schedule on paper, Rob Edwards's side have started to settle and will have Villa's respect.
One win and two draws have come from their last five outings, with their two league defeats during that period coming by 2-1 and 1-0 scorelines to Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur respectively.
Seven games have also passed by since the Hatters conceded more than twice in a Premier League fixture, while they fought back from 2-0 down to earn a share of the spoils at Nottingham Forest last weekend.
Although they rode their luck at times, Luton deserve praise for their resilience, and they are now unbeaten in two consecutive away matches in the top flight, the other being a 2-1 triumph at Everton.
Edwards is no stranger to Villa having come through the youth system at the club during his playing days, making a total of eight Premier League appearances during the 2022-23 season.
Team News
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Emery will select close to the starting lineup that began Villa's success over West Ham, recalling Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres after they were rested in midweek.
Moussa Diaby should also come back into the fold, but Leon Bailey has netted in successive games and could get the nod over Nicolo Zaniolo.
Leading marksman Ollie Watkins has five goals and three assists from his most recent four outings in the top flight.
Although Luton boss Edwards went with a back four versus Forest, he appears likely to switch to a back three for this contest in a bid to repel Villa's attacking threat.
Issa Kabore should return at right wing-back - and Alfie Doughty holding his spot on the opposite flank - with Tahith Chong most likely to miss out.
Andros Townsend will remain among the replacements after making his debut last weekend, while Edwards will hope that Amari'i Bell is fit to replace the injured Reece Burke.
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; McGinn, Kamara, Luiz, Zaniolo; Diaby, Watkins
Luton Town possible starting lineup:
Kaminski; Mengi, Lockyer, Bell; Kabore, Mpanzu, Nakamba, Doughty; Brown, Ogbene; Morris
We say: Aston Villa 4-0 Luton Town
With 11 home Premier League victories in a row, we would not back any of the current top flight to defeat Villa at their home ground right now. Another four-goal salvo could follow in this contest, a scoreline that would have the potential to hit Luton in the long term.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Darren Plant
