Preview: Luton Town vs. Sheffield United - prediction, team news, lineups

Two Championship sides who are struggling to build a strong run of form early in this campaign will lock horns on Saturday, when Luton Town host Sheffield United.

This will be the first meeting in any competition between the Hatters and the Blades since April 2006, when they played out a 1-1 draw at Kenilworth Road.

Match preview

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Luton head coach Nathan Jones was left "embarrassed" by his side's disappointing display, as they were thrashed 5-0 at home to Birmingham City last weekend.

The Hatters were two goals down after 27 minutes thanks to strikes from Marc Roberts and Scott Hogan. The latter scored his second of the game just a few minutes after half time, before Gary Gardner and Chuks Aneke added a fourth and a fifth, to condemned the hosts to their joint-heaviest league defeat since 2006-07.

Luton's wildly inconsistent start to the new Championship campaign sees them sitting in 11th place, after winning and losing two of their opening four games.

Contrasting performances will be a concern for Jones, albeit at such an early stage in the season, and similar results to those against West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham cannot continue if they are to push for a top half finish or even the playoffs.

Defensive frailties were a major factor in their two league defeats so far this term, with only Reading (nine) having conceded more Championship goals than the Hatters (eight) so far. Fortunately, they face a Sheffield United side on Saturday who have scored the fewest goals in the division, finding the net just once from their opening four matches.

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That one goal scored, by club legend Billy Sharp, was in their 2-1 home defeat against Huddersfield Town last weekend, which leaves Slavisa Jokanovic's men as one of only four sides who are yet to win in the second tier this season.

Sharp thought he had cancelled out Josh Koroma's earlier effort to snatch a draw in the 92nd minute, however the Terriers immediately went up the other end, with Levi Colwill scoring the winner in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

The Blades were supposed to be among a number of strong clubs in contention for promotion, but claiming just one point from four games – their worst start to a Championship season since 1995-96 – sees them sitting 23rd in the table, and already nine points behind fellow relegated sides Fulham and West Brom at the top.

Jokanovic, who has secured Championship promotion twice before with Fulham and Watford, has an uphill task in turning the club's fortunes around, but the performance against Derby County in their 2-1 League Cup victory on Tuesday will have encouraged the Serbian heading into Saturday's match with Luton.

Victory for Sheffield United would be their first at Kenilworth Road since December 1994, when they won 6-3 under former boss Dave Bassett.

Team News

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Luton midfielder Jordan Clark is set to miss out again this weekend due to concussion protocols, while defenders Reece Burke (thigh injury), Dan Potts (hamstring injury) and Sonny Bradley (COVID-19) are also unavailable for selection.

With the Hatters light on numbers at the back, Peter Kioso is expected to fill in as a makeshift centre-back alongside Tom Lockyer and Kal Naismith.

Summer signings Fred Onyedinma and Cameron Jerome, who both began on the bench against Birmingham, will be hoping to force their way into the first XI ahead of Admiral Muskwe and Harry Cornick.

As for Sheffield United, Jokanovic is set to recall several players to his starting lineup who were rested in midweek.

Centre-backs Chris Basham, John Egan and Ben Davies are expected to start in the back three, while Sander Berge, Oliver Norwood and John Fleck are all likely to play in central midfield.

Jokanovic will need to decide whether to start Wes Foderingham or Michael Verrips in goal, with both stoppers playing one league game each since Aaron Ramsdale's departure to Arsenal.

Luton Town possible starting lineup:
Sluga; Kioso, Lockyer, Naismith; Bree, Lansbury, Mpanzu, Bell; Onyedinma; Adebayo, Cornick

Sheffield United possible starting lineup:
Foderingham; Basham, Egan, Davies; Baldock, Berge, Norwood, Fleck, Norringhton-Davies; McGoldrick, McBurnie

We say: Luton Town 2-2 Sheffield United

Sheffield United have struggled to find the net so far this campaign, but they may have more joy in front of goal on Saturday against a depleted Luton backline.

The hosts, meanwhile, will be keen to respond after last week's heavy defeat with a strong performance in front of their home supporters, so we can see an entertaining score draw played out at Kenilworth Road.