Luton Town vs Aston Villa

Kenilworth Road is the venue as Luton Town and Aston Villa go head-to-head in a lopsided Premier League contest.

Luton’s troubled situation worsened in midweek FA Cup action as a 6-2 home demolition at the hands of Manchester City heightened the pressure on manager Rob Edwards following a three-game losing league streak. Though they have a game in hand on most relegation rivals, the Hatters commence this round four points adrift of safety, largely thanks to their dismal home form. They’ve managed just one win in their last four Premier League matches at Kenilworth Road (L3), but there’s a silver lining. Luton have historically dominated this fixture, winning 13 of their 19 home H2Hs against Aston Villa (D4, L2). Yet, a 3-1 defeat in October’s reverse fixture at Villa Park indicates they’ll probably have to punch above their weight to maintain that impressive H2H run on home turf.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa have taken advantage of Tottenham’s downturn in form to build a healthy-looking five-point lead in fourth, winning back-to-back league matches, including a 1-0 triumph at Fulham on their last road trip. But having played a game more, Unai Emery’s men can’t afford to rest on their laurels. Leaving Villa Park could strengthen Villa’s grip on a long-awaited top-four finish, as they’ve yet to lose a competitive away game in 2024 (W3, D2). An eye-catching return of four clean sheets from those five outings suggests the Lions are in a prime position to register their first shutout at Kenilworth Road since 1989. But scoring could be a tricky part as they’ve drawn a blank in two of their last four away matches.