Premier League: Do Hatters have a Hope against the Rampant Reds?

Luton Town vs Liverpool

In a word…yes!

But then hope springs eternal, no matter how high the odds are stacked against you… and how much logical reason tells you that you are probably in for a hiding.

And that’s where the 18^th placed hosts will stand when Premier League: Luton Town vs Liverpool kicks off on Sunday afternoon. Head coach Rob Edwards did a fantastic job to get the Hatters promoted last season; Kenilworth Road will be packed to the rafters and the home fans will make an incredible din, but Jurgen Klopp’s fourth-placed Liverpool are used to all sorts of pressure and, after a relatively slow start, the Reds have been clicking through the gears.

Over the past four games Liverpool have picked up four wins, scoring 12 goals; meanwhile, Luton have drawn with Wolves and lost to Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley.  

At 1.21 to win the Luton Town vs Liverpool betting odds are pointing to a win for Klopp’s men and, as the title race is already hotting up, the Reds will be determined to see off the Hatters without delay; but Edwards’ team will always fight and, if Liverpool have an off day…you never quite know.   

Talking Points

Diaz will decide whether he can play

Liverpool dedicated their victory over Nottingham Forest last week to their Colombian forward, Luis Diaz, who discovered just before the game that his parents had been kidnapped by militants from the National Liberation Army. Diaz flew back to Colombia ahead of the Reds’ win over Forest and he also missed a Carabao Cup victory over Bournemouth. His mother was released earlier this week and Colombian officials are still working on the release of his father.

Klopp has said he is waiting to speak to the player but he will not make a decision when to bring him back into the squad, leaving that up to Diaz himself: “We just wait to see where we can pick the boy up from and go from there,” said Klopp. “It’s all about him, that he makes himself available or not, I don’t want to force anything.” 

Mo Salah, Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota were all on target against Forest, Salah making it eight for the campaign and Nunez four; and those three will be in line for a start, though the recently returned Cody Gakpo will be pushing Jota, or maybe even Nunez, for a place,            

No home comforts for Luton yet

Edwards will be under no illusion that the Luton Town vs Liverpool highlights will be an exhibition of attack versus defence, and his team will need to repel everything the Reds can throw at them, for as long as possible. While Kenilworth Road is a tight ground and the home fans will do their best to unsettle their visitor, losses at home to Burnley and Spurs have done nothing for confidence and, unless they somehow keep a clean sheet against Liverpool, the Hatters will be the first team since 1994 to concede in each of their first 11 games in the Premier League.  

If they can get out of their own half then Luton do have an outlet in the shape of Carlton Morris, an old-fashioned centre forward who has scored three goals already, and they do have some Premier League experience to call on. Former Crystal Palace winger Andros Townsend has made appearances from the bench in the last two games and he can also take some pressure off the Hatters rearguard, while ever-present midfielder Marvelous Nakamba will do all he can to interrupt Liverpool’s flow.

But, quite ominously, the three teams promoted from the Championship occupy the bottom three places. There is a huge gap in terms of riches and quality between the top two divisions and the latest odds, here at SBOTOP, reckon Sheffield United and the Hatters are nailed on to take the drop.

This match is not a ‘free hit’ but Luton would snap your hands off for a draw.   

History

These two teams come from either end of the top flight spectrum, in terms of squad quality, resource and history. Liverpool have won 19 league titles, eight FA Cups and six Champions League crowns. Meanwhile, Luton Town have won the Second, Third and Fourth tier titles in their history, also winning the Fifth tier Conference League as recently as 2014.     

Liverpool have won two of the last three meetings with Luton, the other game ending in a draw, and with five wins from the last six the Reds are in great form against a team which is yet to win at home.   

Betting Tip

For home fans or Liverpool’s rivals: Luton are at 5.99 to draw this match and 7.96 to draw, with the Double Chance at 3.64. With title favourites Manchester City at home to Bournemouth and league leaders Spurs at home to out-of-form Chelsea, Liverpool really need to win to keep pace. I’m backing the Reds to make it five victories on the bounce and, for a correct score line, I don’t think 3-0 to Liverpool will be far away at a price of 7.33.

 

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