It’s fair to say that 2023 has been pretty shocking for Chelsea fans and they head to Luton Town knowing that they could end the calendar year in the bottom half of the Premier League.
A late victory over Crystal Palace – particularly the first-half performance on Wednesday night – will give the fans, players and coach some hope that there are better times to come in the second half of the season, but all that promise could be punctured if they do anything other than win at Kenilworth Road this weekend.
Chelsea are facing an in-form Luton. The Hatters beat Newcastle 1-0 and then won a dramatic match against fellow strugglers Sheffield United 3-2 on Boxing Day. Luton have not won three consecutive top-flight matches since 1991.
Here is all you need to know about the Premier League’s last Saturday lunchtime kick-off of 2023.
Luton Town vs Chelsea H2H Record (Last Five Games)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
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United Kingdom |
TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate, discovery+ App, TalkSport Radio UK, discovery+ |
|
United States |
nbcsports.com, SiriusXM FC, NBC Sports App, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, USA Network, Telemundo |
|
Canada |
fuboTV Canada |
The three points that Luton got from Bramall Lane were welcome enough, but the fact they did it without picking up any fresh injuries makes it even better. They could be getting Jordan Clark back from illness for the visit of Chelsea.
They are not without absentees though. Reece Burke and Dan Potts are struggling with thigh problems while Marvelous Nakamba and Issa Kabore are also set to miss out through injury. Carlton Morris is expected to start after a great performance from the bench against Sheffield United.
Luton Town predicted lineup vs Chelsea (3-4-2-1): Kaminski; Osho, Mengi, Bell; Doughty, Barkley, Lokonga, Giles; Townsend, Morris; Adebayo.
Mauricio Pochettino will have some tough calls to make against Luton because he is getting Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer back from suspension. There were some good attacking displays against Crystal Palace, though, so the pair could miss out on a start.
Romeo Lavia may not be able to build on his debut as he has a fitness issue that could keep him out, while Enzo Fernandez may also miss out with a hernia. Trevoh Chalobah, Carney Chukwuemeka, Ben Chilwell, Wesley Fofana, Reece James, Marc Cucurella and Robert Sanchez are all out for the last match of 2023.
Chelsea predicted lineup vs Luton Town (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Gusto, Disasi, Silva, Colwill; Caicedo, Gallagher; Palmer, Nkunku, Mudryk; Jackson.
This is quite a tasty early kick-off to get Saturday’s Premier League action underway because Kenilworth Road will firmly believe that they can get a home result against one of the major London teams.
Given the sheer levels of inconsistency that this Chelsea side has managed to show this season, there is no real reason to believe that they can build on the late win against Palace. Luton are going to make this really hard for them and the home side could emerge with a point.
Prediction: Luton Town 1-1 Chelsea
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