Looking to provide a final slice of festive cheer to their respective supporters before Christmas Day, Luton Town and Derby County will clash for a Championship battle at Kenilworth Road on Friday night.
The Hatters will be aiming to bounce back following a defeat on the road at Blackburn Rovers last weekend, whilst the Rams are striving to make it back-to-back wins in the second tier.
Match preview
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Finishing 18th in the Premier League last season - just six points behind Nottingham Forest in the safety of 17th - Luton Town were expected to compete in the upper echelons of the Championship this season, but Friday night's hosts have failed to live up to pre-season predictions.
The Hatters have now won just one of their last five second-tier battles after another sobering away trip in Blackburn last Saturday afternoon, when first-half strikes from Amario Cozier-Duberry and Liverpool loanee Owen Beck secured a two-goal success for an in-form Rovers side.
Hurtling towards the halfway point of the 2024-25 campaign, Luton are languishing down in 19th position in the Championship standings, just five points above Portsmouth in the highest of the relegation spots and a mammoth 12 points sixth-placed Middlesbrough, who look increasingly dangerous under the stewardship of Michael Carrick.
Collecting 18 of their 22 second-tier points at Kenilworth Road so far this term, Rob Edwards's troops should be relatively confident of enjoying a festive victory in Bedfordshire on Friday, with the Hatters currently enjoying a five-game unbeaten streak on their own patch.
Luton will be on a mission to make it back-to-back home wins for the second time this season after dispatching a struggling Stoke City on December 10, when goals from troublesome duo Carlton Morris and Elijah Adebayo completed a total comeback following Tom Cannon's opener.
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Following a difficult few weeks in the rough and tumble of the Championship, Derby County managed to halt their six-game winless run in sensational style last Friday night, blowing away relegation-threatened Portsmouth at Pride Park to record their biggest victory since the thrashing of Northampton Town in October 2023.
The Rams netted four times past a lacklustre Nicolas Schmid in the Pompey goal, and three of those efforts arrived during a pulsating opening 30 minutes, with Kane Wilson, centre-back Eiran Cashin and midfield general Ebou Adams all making the net ripple for the dominant hosts.
After securing their first success since early November last time out, Derby have moved up to 14th position in the Championship table, 10 points behind the playoffs but most importantly seven points ahead of the relegation zone for a side who were tipped for a bottom-three finish at the beginning of the term.
Despite Luton's woeful start to the season by their standards, the Rams will not be expecting a canter to three points at Kenilworth Road on Friday night, with Paul Warne's men earning maximum points from just one of their 11 Championship outings - only Cardiff City, Oxford United and Wayne Rooney's Plymouth Argyle have won fewer away contests.
Derby are doing admirably so far this term considering that they lack quality options in attack, as shown by the fact that former Blackpool striker Jerry Yates leads the club's Golden Boot race boasting just four goals, with the 28-year-old failing to score in each of his last four appearances.
Team News
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Luton's options in midfield will be restricted by the absence of Liam Walsh, who is suspended for this contest after receiving a red card 11 minutes into his cameo at Blackburn last week.
Another source of creativity for the Hatters, wing-back Alfie Doughty is continuing to fight back from an ankle injury and should feature again after the New Year.
The hosts are struggling without star defenders Teden Mengi and Reece Burke, meaning that the likes of Daiki Hashioka and Thomas Holmes have been left to hold down the fort.
Derby suffered a major injury blow amid the enjoyment of their Portsmouth peppering last time out, with defender Cashin suffering a hamstring strain.
Results of a scan will reveal the severity of the Irishman's issue, and in the meantime ex-Liverpool man Nat Phillips is set to join Curtis Nelson at the heart of the Rams' backline.
Luton Town possible starting lineup:
Kaminski; Holmes, McGuinness, Hashioka; Moses, Krauss, Clark, Chong; Adebayo, Woodrow, Morris
Derby County possible starting lineup:
Zetterstrom; Wilson, Nelson, Phillips, Forsyth; Goudmijn, Osborn, Adams; Mendez-Laing, Harness, Yates
We say: Luton Town 2-1 Derby County
Despite their overall recent struggles, Luton are still a formidable opponent in front of their Kenilworth Road crowd, especially if the supporters have something to cheer about.
Derby are notoriously poor on their second-tier travels and without the talents of Cashin in the side, we envisage the Rams suffering a narrow defeat in Bedfordshire.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
