On the back of writing a page of club history with a first-ever Premier League victory, Luton Town welcome Burnley to Kenilworth Road on Tuesday for their rescheduled encounter.
While the Hatters overcame Everton 2-1 at the weekend, Vincent Kompany's side remain below the dotted line owing to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Newcastle United.
Match preview
© Reuters
A few days on from gleaning their first-ever Premier League point at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers - which could and probably should have been three - Luton were the victims of an EFL Cup giant killing, suffering a third-round shock at the hands of Exeter City.
However, Rob Edwards's men dusted themselves down for a trip to Goodison Park, where Tom Lockyer charged down Ashley Young's clearance to give the Hatters the lead, before Carlton Morris produced an exquisite first-time finish from Alfie Doughty's free kick in a dream first half for the visiting end.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin managed to bundle home to reduce the deficit, but there was no spoiling the Luton party, as Edwards's team came up trumps in a Premier League fixture for the very first time to end the weekend out of the relegation zone in 17th place.
A historic success on Merseyside also ended a dismal four-game winless run for Tuesday's hosts, who were scheduled to square off with Burnley in August before Kenilworth Road renovations pushed the fixture back to the autumn period.
However, a trio of competitive fixtures have now taken place at Luton's headquarters this season, in which the Hatters have both scored and conceded in each of them, but only one team has come away from Kenilworth Road with a win and a clean sheet in 2023 - Burnley.
© Reuters
The Clarets shut out their upcoming hosts in a 1-0 Kenilworth Road success in the Championship back in February, but while Luton bounced back from a midweek knockout, Burnley were brought crashing back down to earth after demolishing Salford City 4-0 in the EFL Cup.
The Turf Moor faithful would have travelled to Newcastle in hope rather than expectation, and a Miguel Almiron stunner propelled the Magpies into an early lead, before Ameen Al-Dakhil scythed down Anthony Gordon in the second half - Alexander Isak did the rest from the spot.
Unlike their upcoming hosts, Burnley are yet to post a first Premier League victory of the season since leaving the Championship behind, and Kompany's one-point charges are only being kept off the foot of the table by Sheffield United and their inferior goal difference.
Burnley can take some solace from the fact that their solitary point this season has come on the road - a 1-1 draw on Nottingham Forest's turf - but the Clarets are now at risk of going three Premier League games without scoring for the first time since April 2022.
Furthermore, the Clarets have gone nine Premier League away matches without a clean sheet since stunning Brighton & Hove Albion, but Kompany's side will hold fond memories of that aforementioned trip to Kenilworth Road seven months ago, where an Ashley Barnes penalty did the trick.
Team News
© Reuters
After his fortuitous but well-earned goal in the first half, Luton skipper Lockyer was taken off just before the hour mark due to a whack to the face, but he played down the severity of his eye problem immediately after the game.
Fellow defender Reece Burke was a half-time withdrawal at the weekend for unspecified reasons - Mads Andersen is on hand to deputise if need be - while Arsenal loanee Albert Sambi Lokonga was ruled out for a couple of months with a thigh injury last week.
Gabriel Osho (knee), Jordan Clark and Dan Potts (both ankle) are keeping Lokonga company in the infirmary, but Ross Barkley should have a strong chance of returning to the fold from a thigh problem having trained prior to the win over Everton.
Meanwhile, Burnley escaped from their loss to Newcastle without any fresh concerns on the physical front, and Kompany will have attacker Lyle Foster back at his disposal following a three-match suspension.
Foster will no doubt be considered for a rapid recall amid the quick turnaround, but Michael Obafemi (hamstring), Hjalmar Ekdal (knee), Darko Churlinov (blood poisoning), Benson Manuel (ankle) and Nathan Redmond (unspecified) are expected to remain out until after the international break.
The long-serving Johann Berg Gudmundsson is also uncertain due to tightness in his calf, but there is no need to rush the Icelandic winger back, as Kompany has Anass Zaroury and Wilson Odobert ready to provide fresh legs out wide.
Luton Town possible starting lineup:
Kaminski; Kabore, Andersen, Lockyer, Bell, Doughty; Nakamba, Barkley; Ogbene, Morris, Adebayo
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Trafford; Vitinho, Al-Dakhil, O'Shea, Taylor; Cullen, Berge; Koleosho, Brownhill, Zaroury; Amdouni
We say: Luton Town 1-1 Burnley
With Luton on cloud nine and consistently making the net ripple in front of their own fans, a repeat of last season's one-goal success is likely off the cards for Burnley, although neither team's long journey home from the weekend will do them any favours.
Fresh defensive concerns could also harm Luton's chances of back-to-back top-flight wins, and we have faith in Kompany's rejigged side to come away with a share of the spoils, but their wait for a first win of the new term will surely go on.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Knapton
