An intriguing contest in the Premier League basement takes place at Kenilworth Road on Saturday afternoon, when Luton Town pit their wits against Brentford.
Rob Edwards's men were ripped to shreds by holders Manchester City last weekend, whereas the Bees created some much-needed breathing space by putting two past Sheffield United without reply.
Match preview
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While the remarkable Ross Barkley renaissance continued at the Etihad Stadium with a memorable goal against Man City, the Englishman's effort proved to be a paltry consolation for Luton, whose defence was carved open by the treble winners on no fewer than five occasions.
Daiki Hashioka's own goal, Mateo Kovacic's rocket and Erling Haaland's penalty put the treble winners out of sight before Barkley found the mark in the final 10 minutes, but City quickly reverted to type through Jeremy Doku and Josko Gvardiol's fine finishes to worsen Luton's goal difference further.
Being brought crashing back down to earth after edging out Bournemouth in dramatic circumstances, Edwards's troops remain below the dreaded dotted line in 18th spot with just five contests remaining, although Nottingham Forest and Everton remain within touching distance.
The beating of Bournemouth represents the only triumph Luton have masterminded in their last 13 matches across all tournaments, although their penchant for scoring remains alive and well; from their most recent 17 games, only Arsenal have managed to shut them out in the final third.
Not since October's 1-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur have Edwards's men been shut out in a Premier League home fixture - netting in their last 12 top-flight outings at Kenilworth Road - but they yet to achieve back-to-back Premier League triumphs in front of the home crowd.
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While Luton's survival hopes took a major hit last weekend, Brentford aided their chances of a fourth straight season in the big time against Championship-bound Sheffield United, snapping a nine-game winless sequence with a dominant display in West London.
Firstly benefitting from Oliver Arblaster's own goal, Mikkel Damsgaard - who supplied the cross for the teenager to turn into his own net - saw a strike of his own chalked off for a foul, but the insurance goal would arrive from Frank Onyeka after an exquisite flick from Kevin Schade.
Thanks to the beating of the Blades and three prior draws with Manchester United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Aston Villa, Brentford - who bring a four-game unbeaten run with them to Kenilworth Road - boast a seven-point lead over the relegation spots in 15th place, so just a couple more triumphs should do the trick for Frank's men.
Next on Frank's agenda is exorcising Brentford's demons on the road, which have seen the Bees amass just one point from their last 15 on offer on enemy territory - conceding 11 in their last four away contests - and not since November have the visitors recorded two straight wins in the top flight.
However, six of Brentford's last seven clashes with Luton have seen the Bees emerge victorious - including a straightforward 3-1 home success in December - and the Hatters' most recent home fixture versus Frank's men in 2020 was a Halloween horror show, going down 3-0 on October 31.
Team News
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Luton's medical staff continue to work overtime at a pivotal point in the season, but Edwards will be able to count on one guaranteed returnee; Issa Kabore was unable to face his parent club at the Etihad but is now back in contention.
Earlier this month, the Hatters boss also revealed that Arsenal loanee Albert Sambi Lokonga - who has caught the eye this season - would have the "best chance" of coming back for this game, but he has lost his battle to be fit, while Teden Mengi will also need assessing due to his knee issue.
Nine infirm troops are expected to remain absent too, including Tom Lockyer (chest), Gabriel Osho (knee), Marvelous Nakamba (knee), Elijah Adebayo (hamstring), Mads Andersen (calf), Jacob Brown (knee), Daniel Potts (thigh), Amari'i Bell (thigh) and Chiedozie Ogbene (thigh).
Brentford's list of injury victims is not so debilitating - Schade and Ethan Pinnock both came off the bench last weekend - but Frank remains without three integral defenders in Aaron Hickey (thigh), Rico Henry (knee) and Ben Mee (ankle), all of whom are expected to miss the remainder of the season alongside Josh Dasilva (knee).
However, there is optimism over the fitness of Christian Norgaard (back) and Kristoffer Ajer (calf), the latter of whom was not risked for the win over Sheffield United, and nor was star striker Ivan Toney.
The in-demand Englishman was an unused substitute against the Blades as he regains full fitness following a hip issue, but Frank is "convinced" that Toney will be firing on all cylinders in time for the weekend.
Luton Town possible starting lineup:
Kaminski; Kabore, Hashioka, Burke, Doughty; Clark, Mpanzu, Barkley; Townsend, Morris, Chong
Brentford possible starting lineup:
Flekken; Zanka, Collins, Pinnock; Roerslev, Jensen, Janelt, Damsgaard, Reguilon; Mbeumo, Toney
We say: Luton Town 1-3 Brentford
Luton's remarkable powers of recovery demonstrates that the Hatters are never to be counted out on home soil, especially given their affinity for scoring in the Premier League, while the Brentford back door is never normally bolted shut on the road.
However, a ravaged Luton backline squaring up to a refreshed Toney is a mismatch on paper, and we back the rejuvenated Bees to once again edge closer to survival while harming the Hatters' prospects of consecutive seasons in the big time.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
