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

The visitors sit on just a single point after only five league outings due to the postponement of their early home games, while the hosts find themselves 18th with nine points from their eight games thus far.

Match preview

After reaching the playoffs and falling short in the semi-finals last year, Luton Town set their sights on another promotion push under Nathan Jones this time around, but they had to endure a slow start, sitting on just two points from four games following a winless run.

The Hatters were then able to put a first victory on the board at the fifth time of asking, as Allan Campbell and Carlton Morris got on the scoresheet in a 2-0 triumph away at Swansea City, before Morris again found the net in a 1-1 draw with league leaders Sheffield United at Kenilworth Road.

They continued an improved run of results with a 2-1 win away at Cardiff City, thanks to goals from Luke Freeman and Gabriel Osho, but would lose by the same scoreline in disappointing fashion in the following encounter as they led 1-0 against Wigan Athletic until a Tom Lockyer own goal levelled the contest and Thelo Aasgaard hit an 89th-minute winner for their opponents.

Such a result saw Jones's men drop down to 18th spot in England's second tier, and they aimed to return to winning ways against Stoke City on Saturday, but the passing of Queen Elizabeth II meant all of the weekend's fixtures across the country were postponed.

As a result, Luton will now return to action on the back of an extended break with their sights set on returning to winning ways against a Coventry City side who have struggled thus far.

The Sky Blues make the trip with just a point to their name from five outings, with that coming from an opening-day 1-1 draw away at Sunderland.

Since then, their schedule has been harmed by damage to their pitch, meaning early home games were postponed, and Mark Robins's side quickly hit a rut, losing contests away at Millwall and Hull City.

Once cleared to play on home turf for the first time in competitive action this season, they would host Preston North End and fall to a 1-0 defeat, as Emil Riis Jakobsen hit the only goal of the game, before being beaten 3-0 away at Norwich City most recently with Teemu Pukki, Joshua Sargent and Kieran Dowell getting on the scoresheet.

With the weekend's postponements acting as another break for the Sky Blues, they will be desperate to return to action with a first league win on Wednesday to stand a chance of moving off the foot of the table, with Coventry already seven points behind 21st-placed Birmingham City, albeit with games in hand on all of the sides around them.

Luton Town Championship form:

Coventry City Championship form:

Coventry City form (all competitions):

Team News

Luton Town remain without James Shea, Pelly Ruddock-Mpanzu and Alfie Doughty, while key striker Elijah Adebayo is a fresh doubt and may miss out on Wednesday.

In his absence, there is a spot available alongside Carlton Morris up front, and Cauley Woodrow, who made the same move from Barnsley over the summer, will be pushing to come in while the recently returned Harry Cornick will also hope to be given the nod.

Further back, Luke Freeman should again operate ahead of Allan Campbell and Jordan Clark in the engine room with Gabriel Osho, Tom Lockyer and Dan Potts set to line up in a back three.

Key attacking duo Matt Godden and Viktor Gyokeres were both reduced to substitute appearances for Coventry City against Norwich, but they should come back in to spearhead the front line on Wednesday, having hit a combined tally of 29 Championship goals last season.

Callum O'Hare, meanwhile, is set to miss out through injury, meaning Robins could either deploy Kasey Palmer in support of the strike force or Ben Sheaf, Gustavo Hamer and Jamie Allen as a flat midfield three.

Following the departure of Dom Hyam, Callum Doyle, Michael Rose and Jonathan Panzo are fighting for the two spots alongside Kyle McFadzean in the back three, and the latter could return to the starting XI after both Doyle and Rose were substituted off in the 3-0 defeat at Carrow Road.

Luton Town possible starting lineup:

Horvath; Osho, Lockyer, Potts; Bree, Campbell, Clark, Bell; Freeman; Cornick, Morris

Coventry City possible starting lineup:

Wilson; Panzo, McFadzean, Rose; Dabo, Sheaf, Hamer, Allen, Bell; Cornick, Morris

We say: Luton Town 2-1 Coventry City

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