Premier League: Luton Town vs Arsenal Live
Preview
For the first time in 32 years, Luton Town and Arsenal will face each other in a top-tier match at Kenilworth Road in Tuesday’s Premier League game at 8:15pm. Luton Town lost 3-1 to Brentford in their previous match, while Mikel Arteta’s team, Arsenal, increased their lead at the top of the table with a 2-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
During Luton’s match against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium, Rob Edwards’s resilient defense successfully held off Thomas Frank’s frustrated forward line for quite sometime. However, an unfortunate injury to captain Tom Lockyer proved to be the downfall for the Hatters. Luton’s defense was breached by Neal Maupay and Ben Mee before Jacob Brown managed to score for the visitors. Shandon Baptiste quickly restored the Bees’ two-goal cushion in West London.
Edwards acknowledged that Luton were second best throughout the match and expressed disappointment in the “early Christmas gifts” his team gave away. Despite their recent maiden Premier League home win over Crystal Palace, Luton remains just above the relegation zone in 17th place. However, wins for Everton and Burnley over the weekend means that Luton only have a two-point buffer over their demotion rivals. The team also remains without a single clean sheet this season and has failed to score in the first half of 13 of their 14 top-flight fixtures this term.
Arsenal started strong against Wolves, taking a 2-0 lead within 13 minutes thanks to Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard. Despite missing several opportunities to extend their lead, Arsenal managed to hold off Wolves, securing a two-point lead at the top of the rankings. Nonetheless, Arteta’s team is on a winning streak with five consecutive victories and has an impressive defensive record in away games, conceding only three goals in six Premier League matches.
Head-to-head
Luton has impressively maintained an unbeaten run of 11 games against Arsenal at Kenilworth Road and also secured a victory over the Gunners in the 1988 EFL Cup final, marking their first significant trophy. However, their most recent competitive encounter was in 1991, when Luton secured a 1-0 win.
Prediction
Luton has lost all three of their home games this season by a single goal. However, with three new defensive injuries, they may struggle against the league leaders. Arsenal may also face fatigue, but their coach has many options for changes and is likely to secure a sixth consecutive win at Kenilworth Road, possibly with another clean sheet.
