Croatia
Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Preview: Coventry City vs. Luton Town - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 9 February 2023, 12:15
Luton Town travel to Coventry City on Saturday afternoon looking for the win which will further strengthen their hold of a Championship playoff spot.

While the Hatters currently sit in fourth position in the standings, Coventry are down in 15th spot, 10 points adrift of their upcoming opponents.

Match preview

Ever since the arrival of Rob Edwards in December, Luton have only been heading on an upward trajectory, that feeling being proven by their spot in the top six.

However, Luton were surprisingly outplayed by Grimsby Town in the FA Cup in midweek, going down by a 3-0 scoreline at the home of the League Two outfit.

Not only have Luton missed out on a reunion with Nathan Jones at Southampton in the last 16, the manner of the defeat could halt any momentum that they have built in the second tier.

Before the embarrassment at the Mariners, Luton had put together two 1-0 wins in the Championship, and they also have three consecutive clean sheets in the league.

Edwards's team must now show resolve on their trip to the Midlands, aware that a second away defeat in the space of four days will pull them back into the batch of clubs who could move in and out of the top six over the coming weeks.

At a time when Luton currently hold a four-point advantage over seventh spot, Coventry are now six points adrift of the playoffs after a disappointing run of form.

Mark Robins's side have been poor ever since the resumption of action in December, collecting just nine points from their 10 Championship games and losing to Wrexham in the FA Cup.

On a positive note, the Sky Blues remain 10 points clear of the relegation zone, something which should remain appreciated given where they spent the opening months of the season.

Nevertheless, Coventry's only win in eight matches in all competitions has come at home to struggling Huddersfield Town, leaving Robins to demand extra from his team after a narrow 1-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion last time out.

Coventry City Championship form:

D

D

L

L

W

L

Coventry City form (all competitions):

D

L

L

L

W

L

Luton Town Championship form:

W

W

L

W

W

W

Luton Town form (all competitions):

W

W

D

W

W

L

Team News

While there are aspects of Coventry's performance against West Brom which would have pleased Robins, he is still expected to make alterations to his side.

Sean Maguire could be brought into the final third, potentially replacing Jamie Allen, while Matt Godden may be given one more substitute outing after injury before coming into contention for a start.

Edwards will look to revert back to the Luton XI which started versus Stoke last weekend having rung the changes for the Grimsby tie.

Although Marvelous Nakamba is well rested after not being eligible for the FA Cup match, the Aston Villa loanee will likely remain among the replacements.

Cody Drameh will also start at right wing-back after missing out in midweek for the same reason.

Coventry City possible starting lineup:

Wilson; McNally, Doyle, Panzo; Norton-Cuffy, Sheaf, Hamer, Bidwell; Maguire, Palmer; Gyokeres

Luton Town possible starting lineup:

Horvath; Burke, Lockyer, Bell; Drameh, Clark, Mpanzu, Doughty; Campbell; Morris, Adebayo

We say: Coventry City 1-1 Luton Town

Having been stunned by Grimsby in the FA Cup, Luton's season could now go several ways. For now, though, Edwards will want to steady the ship, and we feel that the visitors will be more than content with a point if it becomes a possibility on Saturday.

Previews by email

Top News

22 December 2024 talksport.com Kylian Mbappe struck a landmark effort to put himself firmly among Real Madrid's elite. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has insisted that he is "absolutely happy" with his side's goalless draw at Everton on Sunday. 22 December 2024 talksport.com If you thought Mohamed Salah couldn't set yet another record, think again. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk For a second time in successive Gulf Cup competitions, The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait will meet in the group stage, with this upcoming game taking place on Tuesday at Jaber Al-Amad International Stadium in Kuwait City. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayer Leverkusen defender Jeremie Frimpong is supposedly not a 'concrete target' for Liverpool amid speculation over Trent Alexander-Arnold's future. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid moved into second spot in the La Liga table courtesy of a 4-2 success over Sevilla in Sunday afternoon's contest at Bernabeu, with Los Blancos ending 2024 on a high note. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Oman and Qatar will compete in the Gulf Cup for the first time in over a decade on Tuesday at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, each seeking their first victory in this edition of the tournament. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk New Wolverhampton Wanderers' boss Vitor Pereira earned three points when his side comfortably beat Ruud van Nistelrooy's Leicester City 3-0 away from home on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Aaron Ramsdale was spotted wearing a modified goalkeeper glove in Southampton's Premier League clash at Fulham. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea squandered the chance to go top of the Premier League table for a couple of hours as Everton held the Blues to a goalless stalemate at Goodison Park. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Djed Spence has been named in the Tottenham Hotspur starting XI for their Premier League clash with Liverpool, while Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo get the nod up front for the visitors. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Manchester United were beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth in a defeat that saw Ruben Amorim's side achieve an unwanted record. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Gary Neville believes that Ruben Amorim will allow Marcus Rashford to leave Manchester United for the sake of 'himself and the club'. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Pep Guardiola isn't immune from the sack at Manchester City having continued their unprecedented and dismal run of form. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly earmarked Leeds United shot-stopper Illan Meslier as one of two goalkeeper targets ahead of the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly identified Burnley's James Trafford as their top transfer target for the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Paris Saint-Germain defender Nuno Mendes has reportedly indicated he will take time to consider his future before he commits to a new contract. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Eddie Howe will be nervous about holding onto star striker Alexander Isak at Newcastle as his fine goalscoring form continues. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has named his starting side for Sunday's Premier League clash with Bournemouth at Old Trafford. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Enzo Maresca has opted to use Levi Colwill as a replacement for the suspended Marc Cucurella for Sunday's Premier League game at Everton. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal broke an English football record in their 5-1 Premier League thrashing of Crystal Palace on Saturday, but it came at a significant cost, as Bukayo Saka was taken off with a suspected hamstring problem in the first half. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku is allegedly generating interest from at least five clubs. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona reportedly remain fully behind head coach Hansi Flick despite the team's latest title setback against Atletico Madrid on Saturday night. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Southampton's new head coach Ivan Juric is one not to be messed with as his physical scrap with Torino's sporting director showed. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Seeking to pick up a third straight home win in the Primeira Liga, Vitoria de Guimaraes play host to Nacional at the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques on Monday. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim is reportedly looking for the Red Devils to build a new scouting team in Portugal in a bid to unearth the next Cristiano Ronaldo. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick is reportedly not interested in signing Manchester United attacker Alejandro Garnacho during next summer's transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool must take advantage of Tottenham Hotspur's considerable weaknesses and will be confident of victory on Sunday according to Reds expert David Lynch. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The January transfer window is almost here and clubs around the UK and Europe are lining up moves as they look to take advantage of the opportunity to strengthen. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Union Saint-Jean vs. Monaco (Sunday, 1.45pm) On Sunday, in a David vs. Goliath affair, Union Saint-Jean can pull off one of the biggest upsets in Coupe de France history when they take on Monaco in the round of 64 at Stadium de Toulouse.