Luton Town travel to Hull City on Saturday with the hope of heading into the international break still in the Championship playoffs.
The Hatters are currently fifth in the table and one point ahead of seventh place, while the Tigers sit in 19th.
Match preview
© Reuters
Luton's quest for promotion to the Premier League this season is a remarkable story considering they were in non-league only eight years ago and have comfortably the lowest budget in the Championship.
The Hatters have won five of their last seven matches and need just one more victory to take them beyond their points tally of 62 from last season.
Nathan Jones's side thrashed Preston North End 4-0 on Wednesday night, which means that only Fulham and Bournemouth have scored more goals in the Championship this season.
Having beaten Coventry City in their last away game, the Hatters are now aiming to achieve back-to-back wins on the road for only the second time this season.
The Bedfordshire side have won 1-0 in both of their last two games against Hull, with Elijah Adebayo scoring the decisive goal in the reverse fixture at Kenilworth Road earlier in the season.
© Reuters
The Tigers were also victorious in midweek as they won 2-0 away from home against playoff hopefuls Coventry City.
Richie Smallwood and Ryan Longman both found the net in the first half at the CBS Arena, as Hull eased any lingering relegation fears by moving 13 points clear of the bottom three.
It was their first win in three matches and they are now targeting back-to-back wins for the first time under Shota Arveladze.
However, the Tigers have recorded the joint-fewest points (18) and scored the fewest goals (15) at home in the Championship this season and have suffered four successive defeats without scoring at the MKM Stadium.
- D
- L
- W
- L
- D
- W
- W
- W
- L
- W
- L
- W
- W
- L
- L
- W
- L
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Despite the quick turnaround, Shota Arveladze could name an unchanged Hull team as he searches for back-to-back wins.
Greg Docherty will be pushing to return to the starting lineup after dropping out in midweek, while Marcus Forss and Callum Elder will be keen to step up their playing time after recent injuries.
Matt Ingram will continue to deputise in goal for Nathan Baxter, who is expected to return from injury after the international break.
Luton defender Reece Burke was forced off with a hamstring injury just 23 minutes into the game against Preston on Wednesday.
With Kai Naismith and Tom Lockyer missing the match and therefore doubts for the weekend, it could be a makeshift back three for the Hatters including right-backs James Bree and Peter Kioso.
In midfield, Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu is expected to still be sidelined so Luke Berry – a two-goal hero in midweek – should get the nod again.
Hull City possible starting lineup:
Ingram; Jones, McLoughlin, Greaves; Longman, Slater, Smallwood, Fleming; Honeyman, Lewis-Potter; Eaves
Luton Town possible starting lineup:
Shea; Bree, Kioso, Potts; Onyedinma, Campbell, Clark, Bell; Berry; Adebayo, Cornick
We say: Hull City 0-2 Luton Town
Despite Hull's win in midweek, their inconsistency and poor home form does not give much encouragement ahead of the visit of a confident Luton side. We think that the Hatters will continue their playoff charge with a victory at the MKM Stadium.
Top tip
Olly Allen
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Luton Town win with a probability of 36.66%. A win for Hull City had a probability of 33.95% and a draw had a probability of 29.4%.
The most likely scoreline for a Luton Town win was 0-1 with a probability of 12.72%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (7.45%) and 0-2 (7.06%). The likeliest Hull City win was 1-0 (12.11%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.43%). The actual scoreline of 1-3 was predicted with a 2.8% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Luton Town would win this match.
