When Aston Villa hosts Luton Town on Sunday afternoon, they’ll be aiming to solidify their grasp on fifth place in the Premier League rankings.
Luton, meanwhile, has optimism heading into their second straight trip to the Midlands because all four of their points in this division have come from those games.
Match Preview
When Villa and West Ham locked horns last weekend, it felt like something of a crossroads match with both teams possessing the squads to push for the top five this campaign.
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But Villa proved to be the more cunning and elegant team, winning 4-1 to close the gap on sixth place and keep them four points clear of the top spot.
At Villa Park, where they are based in the West Midlands, Villa has now won 11 straight league games with an incredible 17 goals scored.
Unai Emery refrained from making drastic adjustments for the Europa Conference League match at AZ Alkmaar, which transpired. Villa repeated their 4-1 victory over the Hammers, which was perhaps the most noteworthy outcome of this week’s European matches.
Villa wants to win that specific competition and finish in the top five in 2023–24, so they will need to make the most of games like the one on Sunday if they hope to accomplish their goals.
Even though, on paper, a home match against Luton is the easiest on any team’s schedule, Rob Edwards’s team has begun to gel and will be respected by Villa.
Their last five games have yielded one victory, two draws, and two league losses, to Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur, by scores of 2-1 and 1-0, respectively.
Additionally, it has been seven games since the Hatters gave up more than twice in a Premier League match; last Saturday, they overcame a 2-0 deficit to share the spoils with Nottingham Forest.
Although they occasionally relied on luck, Luton can be commended for their tenacity; they have now won two straight away games in the top division without losing, with a 2-1 victory at Everton being the other.
Edwards, who made a total of eight Premier League appearances in the 2022–2023 season, is no stranger to Villa having came through the club’s development system during his playing days.
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Team News
Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres, who were rested in the middle of the week, will be brought back into the starting lineup that kickstarted Villa’s victory over West Ham, according to Emery.
Moussa Diaby ought likely return as well, although Leon Bailey—who has scored in back-to-back games—may start ahead of Nicolo Zaniolo.
Ollie Watkins, the team’s leading scorer, has three assists and five goals from his last four top division games.
Despite starting with a back four against Forest, Luton manager Edwards is expected to go to a back three for this match in an effort to neutralize Villa’s attacking threat.
With Tahith Chong most likely to start on the opposing flank, Alfie Doughty should maintain his position as right wing-back and Issa Kabore return to the field.
After making his debut last weekend, Andros Townsend will continue to be a replacement, and Edwards will be hoping that Amari’i Bell is well enough to take the place of the injured Reece Burke.
Possible starting lineup for Aston Villa: Martinez; McGinn, Kamara, Luiz, Zaniolo; Diaby, Watkins; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne
Kaminski, Mengi, Lockyer, Bell; Kabore, Mpanzu, Nakamba, Doughty; Brown, Ogbene; Morris might be the starting lineup for Luton Town.
Full-Time Prediction: Aston Villa 3-1 Luton Town
