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

Meanwhile, the Lions make the trip to Kenilworth Road knowing that a win could see them progress back into the playoff spots.

Match preview

Under pressure to convince supporters that he is the right man for job, newly-appointed Luton head coach Rob Edwards would have been desperate to return from the fixture against Middlesbrough with a result.

Instead, the Hatters suffered a 2-1 defeat courtesy of a goal in the 90th minute, not helped by the sending off of Amari'i Bell with 18 minutes remaining.

While there were aspects of the performance at the Riverside Stadium that Edwards could be pleased with, he is aware that results are more important at this stage.

Luton now sit four points adrift of the playoff spots, while the resurgence of teams below them means that they are only six points above the relegation zone.

Although the former Watford boss may prefer to focus on matters by a game-by-game basis, he knows that his first win needs to come sooner rather than later.

Not so long ago, Millwall seemed set to make a move on the automatic promotion places having put together a four-match winning streak.

Since then, however, just six points have been collected from as many fixtures, seeing the Lions sit in seventh position ahead of their short trip to Luton.

With just one win from six matches, Gary Rowett will be delighted that remains the case, but a 1-1 draw versus Wigan Athletic last weekend did little for the mood at The Den.

As with Luton, the upcoming period could prove pivotal for Millwall, yet sitting four points off third-placed Blackburn Rovers should remind Rowett and his players that they have an opportunity to challenge for promotion throughout the second half of the season.

Luton Town Championship form:

D

D

W

L

D

L

Millwall Championship form:

L

D

D

W

L

D

Millwall form (all competitions):

D

D

W

D

L

D

Team News

With Bell serving a one-match suspension, Edwards will be forced into making a change to his back three when many recognisble alternatives are also unavailable.

James Bree may be asked to drop into a central position with Luke Freeman potentially lining up in an unfamiliar right wing-back role.

With a total of seven players definitely out of contention, the remainder of the side could stay the same.

Despite the frustration of the draw with Wigan, Rowett may be against making many alterations to his Millwall XI.

While Jamie Shackleton, George Honeyman and Charlie Cresswell are all options, not all of them will be handed recalls.

Luton Town possible starting lineup:

Horvath; Osho, Lockyer, Bell; Bree, Campbell, Mpanzu, Clark, Doughty; Morris, Adebayo

Millwall possible starting lineup:

Long; McNamara, Hutchinson, Cooper, Wallace; Mitchell, Saville; Voglsammer, Flemming, Honeyman; Bradshaw

We say: Luton Town 1-1 Millwall

With both clubs going through a poor run of form, the stakes are high in this contest as they bid to stay in touch with the top six. Taking that into consideration, we feel that a low-scoring draw is most likely, one which will be deemed acceptable by both sets of supporters.

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