Luton Town know a win could move them back into the playoff positions on Saturday as they face off against recently-promoted Sunderland at Kenilworth Road in the Championship.
A rampant Watford side ended Luton's eight-game unbeaten run in emphatic fashion last time out, whereas Sunderland squandered a two-goal lead and lost to table-topping Burnley at the Stadium of Light in their last fixture.
Match preview
© Reuters
After achieving a playoff finish in the Championship last season, many doubted the ability of Nathan Jones's men to pick themselves up after a semi-final defeat to Huddersfield Town and push once again for an unlikely promotion to the Premier League.
The Hatters were able to retain the services of star players such as Elijah Adebayo in the summer and have made some shrewd additions to the squad, actions that have allowed the club to stay on the coattails of the top six after 16 games of this campaign.
Four games without victory at the start of the year raised concerns of a Barnsley-style trajectory in which Luton would be fighting off relegation to the third tier after securing a playoff place in the year before, but a run of only two losses in their last 12 has everyone involved with the club looking upwards instead of towards the lower reaches of the table.
Forward Carlton Morris arrived from the aforementioned Tykes in the summer, and has netted a team-leading seven times this season, taking some of the attacking burden off Adebayo who was the club's primary source of goals in their promotion push last year.
If Jones's men are to repeat or better their finish last season they must improve on their form at Kenilworth Road, where they have only won twice so far this campaign from eight opportunities in front of their raucous home faithful.
© Reuters
Goals from Manchester United loanee Amad Diallo and midfielder Daniel Neil put Sunderland into a commanding 2-0 lead inside 20 minutes at home to Vincent Kompany's exciting Burnley side last weekend.
By the time the full-time whistle had sounded, the Black Cats had experienced a second-half capitulation and surrendered all three points to the Clarets, conceding four goals after the break in a fashion that had blood boiling in the North-East.
That defeat means Tony Mowbray's side have lost three of their last four in the Championship and have consequently slipped to 16th in the standings after a flying start that saw them inside the top six.
It must be said that those trio of defeats have come against top Championship sides in Swansea City, Blackburn Rovers and most recently Burnley, with Sunderland showing over the course of the season so far that they have more than enough to survive at this level after a four-year tussle with England's third tier.
A trip to Bedfordshire is an unfamiliar one for Sunderland, having only played at Kenilworth Road once in the last 15 years, with that rare matchup a 2018-19 League One encounter that ended in a share of the spoils.
Team News
© Reuters
Luton Town will once again be without defender Reece Burke due to a hamstring strain he picked up against Hull City at the end of September, an injury which has seen the 26-year-old sit out of his side's last five Championship games.
Jones will be unable to call on the services of Gabriel Osho when the Black Cats visit on Saturday, as the young central defender was sent off at Vicarage Road against Watford last time out.
Mowbray could welcome back striker Ellis Simms to the matchday squad after missing the last seven matches with ligament damage sustained in the 3-0 win over Reading. Simms trained with the team at Wednesday's open session at the Stadium of Light and is likely to play some part on Saturday.
Patrick Roberts is a doubt for a trip to Luton after missing the Burnley clash last weekend and not taking part in some training sessions this week.
Dan Ballard (foot), Ross Stewart (thigh) and Aji Alese will all be sidelined until after the World Cup to the frustration of boss Mowbray and the Sunderland faithful.
Luton Town possible starting lineup:
Horvath; Lockyer, Bradley, Bell; Bree, Cornick, Clark, Doughty, Campbell; Morris, Adebayo
Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Patterson; Hume, O'Nien, Batth, Cirkin; Evans, Neil, Diallo, Embleton, Pritchard; Clarke
We say: Luton Town 2-2 Sunderland
Luton will be desperate to bounce back after a heavy loss at Watford that ended an impressive eight-game unbeaten run in the Championship when Sunderland visit on Saturday afternoon.
Both sides have attacking talent to trouble defences and both have been letting in plenty of goals of late, so we are anticipating an exciting encounter at Kenilworth Road.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
