Luton Town vs Brighton & Hove Albion

European hopefuls Brighton & Hove Albion head to Kenilworth Road to encounter Premier League relegation fighters Luton Town.

Luton Town’s bid to secure Premier League survival took back-to-back hits (D1, L1) following a two-game winning streak beforehand, but they’ve bounced back after the calendar flipped to 2024. Yet to lose a competitive fixture in the new calendar year (W2, D2), the ‘Hatters’ head into proceedings on the back of a last-gasp 2-1 win against Everton in their FA Cup fourth-round tie to set up a daunting fifth-round clash against Manchester City. But Rob Edwards’ attention quickly shifts to league duties, where his lads languish one point below 17th-placed Everton. Playing at Kenilworth Road won’t necessarily guarantee much-needed points for Luton, considering they’ve suffered three defeats across their last four home league matches (W1), ominously conceding multiple goals in each loss.

On the other hand, Brighton starred in their FA Cup fourth-round tie versus Sheffield United, running out 5-2 victors at Bramall Lane to set themselves up nicely for this trip. But with three of their last four Premier League games ending level (W1), Roberto De Zerbi’s men commence this round a whopping 11 points adrift of fourth-placed Aston Villa and can ill-afford another slip-up here. That could prove easier said than done as the ‘Seagulls’ have gone winless on their last four Premier League travels (D2, L2), not to mention drew a blank twice on their most recent three. Playing a Luton side they dismantled 4-1 in the reverse fixture in East Sussex should come in handy, especially after they’ve failed to find the back of the net in their last two top-flight assignments (D2).