Luton Town continue their battle against the drop this weekend as they face off with Coventry City in the Championship on Saturday afternoon.
The Hatters are currently 22nd in the table and they are in the relegation zone on goal difference, with only two matches remaining.
Match preview
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Luton have hit a good run of form at the right time of the campaign as they have won five of their last 10 games in the Championship.
The five wins are a sign of improvement under Matt Bloomfield, after the Luton boss failed to win any of his first eight league games after joining from Wycombe Wanderers back in January.
Two of those victories have come in their past two games, with key wins over relegation rivals Derby County and promotion candidates Bristol City over the Easter weekend.
If Luton do survive, they will have their home form to thank for it, as 31 of their 46 points have come in their matches played at Kenilworth Road.
They will be hoping for a ninth home win of the campaign this weekend as they aim to climb out of the drop zone ahead of their final game of the season.
Despite conceding 64 times in 44 matches, the hosts have improved a lot defensively of late, having shipped just four goals in their last six matches.
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Having beaten one playoff hopeful last time out, the hosts will want to dent another side's hopes as Coventry travel to Kenilworth Road occupying the final playoff position in the Championship table.
Frank Lampard's men are looking to bounce back from disappointment away to Plymouth Argyle on Easter Monday as the Pilgrims recorded a 3-1 victory to keep their survival hopes alive.
Coventry are searching for just their seventh away win of the campaign, and, like Luton, they perform much better on home soil, having gained 42 of their 66 points from their home fixtures.
A win this weekend would put them in the driver's seat ahead of the final weekend of the season, when they face off with seventh-placed Middlesbrough, who are just three points behind the Sky Blues at present.
Lampard's side are the fourth-highest scorers in the division with 62 goals in their 44 matches to date, and they will hope that their high-scoring attack will lead them to the playoffs.
As it stands, Boro, Millwall, Blackburn Rovers and West Bromwich Albion all have a mathematical chance of taking Coventry's spot in the standings, so they will want to ensure that they secure maximum points to avoid any doubts about their playoff position.
These two sides notably met in the 2023 Championship playoff final, with the Hatters winning promotion to the Premier League on that occasion after beating the Sky Blues on penalties at Wembley, following a 1-1 draw.
However, the reality of potential back-to-back relegations will be looming over Luton if they fail to get three points this weekend.
Coventry already got some revenge for that Wembley heartache when the two sides met back in October, as the Sky Blues enjoyed a 3-2 triumph against Luton.
The Hatters were 2-0 up after goals from Carlton Morris and Elijah Adebayo appeared to give them a commanding lead, before goals from Ellis Simms, Victor Torp and Haji Wright secured a memorable comeback for Coventry.
Team News
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The hosts have a couple of absentees, with Tom Lockyer and Alfie Doughty both ruled out due to injury.
Other injury concerns for Luton include Jacob Brown, as well as one of their scorers in the reverse fixture, Adebayo.
Meanwhile, Coventry may be without one of their scorers from their victory in October as Torp is out with an ankle issue.
Elsewhere, Ephron Mason-Clark, Bobby Thomas and Oliver Dovin are not expected to feature for the visitors due to injuries, while Norman Bassette (quad) is a further doubt for the Sky Blues.
Luton Town possible starting lineup:
Kaminski; Makosso, McGuinness, Mengi, Bell; Jones, Fanne, Walsh, Aasgaard; Alli, Morris
Coventry City possible starting lineup:
Collins; van Ewijk, Latibeaudiere, Kitching, Dasilva; Sheaf, Grimes, Sakamoto, Rudoni, Wright; Simms
We say: Luton Town 1-0 Coventry City
Both sides need the points this weekend, but we think that Luton will claim a precious three points in their battle against the drop.
The Hatters have been in good form of late, and Coventry do not travel all that well, as demonstrated last weekend against Plymouth.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Tom Humphrey
