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

The Magpies knocked down the walls of the Villa Park fortress by beating Aston Villa 3-1 last time out, while the Hatters blew Brighton & Hove Albion to smithereens in a 4-0 battering.

Match preview

Akin to passengers waiting an age for a bus before two come at once, Newcastle defender Fabian Schar had attempted 73 shots without success in the Premier League before Tuesday's clash with Villa, where he needed just two sights of goal to bag an unlikely brace.

The Swiss centre-back firstly met Kieran Trippier's corner with an instinctive strike before being in the right place at the right time to prod home from Anthony Gordon's crossbar-rattling strike, and within just seven minutes of the restart, Alex Moreno's own goal put the result beyond any doubt.

An Ollie Watkins finish would set up an intriguing finale, but unlike in the animal kingdom, the Magpies came up trumps against the Lions to subject Unai Emery's side to their first Premier League home defeat of the season, while also marching to a third successive away win in all tournaments.

A second successive Champions League qualification may now be a pipe dream for Eddie Howe's men owing to their winter woes, but the Magpies are still dreaming of Europa League or Europa Conference League sojourns in seventh place, at least until Manchester United square off against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Thursday night.

While Howe's men have an unblemished road record to boast in 2024, three of Newcastle's last four home matches have seen the Magpies fall short - including their last two Premier League affairs with Nottingham Forest and Manchester City - and it is the visitors who possess the fondest memories from their most recent showdown.

As praiseworthy as Newcastle's Villa Park success was, the Magpies' thunder was stolen by an Elijah Adebayo-inspired Luton Town on Tuesday night, as the Hatters wrote a couple of pages of club history with their biggest Premier League win to date against Brighton.

A mere 18 seconds were on the clock when Adebayo began the Hatters goal rush, and after Chiedozie Ogbene also got in on the act with just three minutes on the clock, the former completed a terrific treble of strikes - Luton's first in the Premier League era - in an astonishing four-goal annihilation of the Seagulls.

Possibly spurred on by the emotional return of captain Tom Lockyer to the training ground earlier in the week, Luton have temporarily escaped the relegation zone thanks to Tuesday's remarkable win and hold a one-point lead over 18th-placed Everton, who have played a game more than Rob Edwards's crop.

As well as helping them clamber to safety, Luton's crushing of Brighton extended their victorious streak to three games and their unbeaten sequence to five matches across all tournaments, and none of the Hatters' last four away games has seen Edwards's men fall to defeat.

The visitors are still on the hunt for their first away clean sheet of the season and have not triumphed in any of their last 21 league trips to St James' Park - losing 16 of them - but they kept Newcastle at arm's length on December 23 with a hard-fought 1-0 Kenilworth Road win, just seven days after Lockyer's harrowing on-field collapse.

Newcastle United Premier League form:

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Newcastle United form (all competitions):

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Luton Town Premier League form:

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Luton Town form (all competitions):

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Team News

Schar found a golden touch in front of goal at just the right time versus Villa, as star striker Alexander Isak was taken off with a groin injury just before the break, but the seriousness of his issue has not yet been ascertained.

Should Isak's problem render him unavailable for the weekend, Howe could be without both of his recognised centre-forwards due to Callum Wilson's calf injury, while fellow attackers Joelinton (thigh) and Harvey Barnes (ankle) will not be ready for the fixture either.

Either Gordon or Miguel Almiron - staying at the club despite brief Saudi Arabia links - will deputise in a central role for Newcastle in the worst-case scenario, while Sandro Tonali (suspended), Nick Pope (shoulder), Matt Targett (thigh), Elliot Anderson (back), Joe Willock (calf) and Jamaal Lascelles (calf) missed the midweek win too, but the latter is in with a chance of returning here.

While Luton were revelling in their drubbing of Brighton on Tuesday, Issa Kabore's Burkina Faso suffered Africa Cup of Nations last-16 heartache to Mali, meaning that the on-loan Manchester City defender could make his domestic comeback on Saturday.

Jacob Brown's knee injury could also clear up in time for the weekend, but Marvelous Nakamba (knee) and Mads Andersen (calf) remain out of contention, while skipper Lockyer still has a long road ahead of him in his rehabilitation.

Fitness-permitting, Edwards will inevitably want to send out the same starting XI from their midweek mauling of the Seagulls, but ex-Newcastle man Andros Townsend could freshen up the forward line if necessary.

Newcastle United possible starting lineup:

Dubravka; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Miley, Guimaraes, Longstaff; Murphy, Almiron, Gordon

Luton Town possible starting lineup:

Kaminski; Bell, Osho, Burke; Ogbene, Barkley, Lokonga, Doughty; Clark, Morris; Adebayo

We say: Newcastle United 2-1 Luton Town

Luton may have put Newcastle to the sword in December's emotionally-charged contest, and the Magpies' recent home exploits have left something to be desired, but do not be surprised to see Howe's men bring the Hatters crashing back down to earth.

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