Luton Town return to Kenilworth Road on Saturday to meet Newcastle United in what is sure to be an emotionally-charged Premier League contest.

The Hatters' clash with Bournemouth last week was called to a halt following Tom Lockyer's distressing cardiac arrest, while the Magpies come into the fixture having been eliminated from the EFL Cup by Chelsea.

Match preview

Luton manager Rob Edwards struggled to hold back tears as the Vitality Stadium stood as one last Saturday, where seven months on from his collapse at Wembley in the Championship playoff final, Hatters captain Lockyer worryingly fell to the ground on the South Coast.

Thanks to the rapid response of the medical team, Lockyer was confirmed to have been alert and responsive before both teams emerged from the dressing rooms to applause from the Vitality crowd, and the Premier League have now confirmed that the abandoned fixture will be replayed in full.

Before the concerning incident involving Lockyer - who has since been discharged from hospital - Luton had drawn first blood against Bournemouth with just three minutes gone courtesy of the in-form Elijah Adebayo, but Dominic Solanke responded for the Cherries in the second period.

Now with a game in hand on their fellow relegation battlers, Luton are still cut adrift from safety in 18th place and will remain in the drop zone regardless of results this weekend - Nottingham Forest boast a five-point advantage - and the abandonment of last weekend's match means that their record still reads three successive defeats ahead of Saturday.

However, Edwards's men put in magnificent shifts in their two most recent home losses - only losing to Arsenal in injury time and handing Manchester City a few scares - and no team has managed to prevail at Kenilworth Road by at least two goals in the 2023-24 Premier League.

While Newcastle initially benefitted from a defensive disasterclass in their EFL Cup quarter-final with Chelsea, as Callum Wilson bulldozed his way through the Blues' disjointed rearguard to open the scoring, the Magpies were left to rue what could have been due to a costly pair of errors from a normally reliable stalwart.

Deep into second-half stoppage time, Mykhaylo Mudryk pounced on a misplaced header from Kieran Trippier to force a penalty shoot-out, in which the Newcastle right-back also sent his effort wide, and Djordje Petrovic subsequently sprung to his left to deny Matt Ritchie and propel Chelsea into the last four.

Reeling from a second knockout exit in the space of a week, having also seen their European fantasy dashed by AC Milan, Eddie Howe's men at least possess fond memories of their most recent Premier League affair, which ended in a convincing 3-0 rout of a 10-man Fulham at St James' Park.

The Magpies are knocking on the top-four door in sixth place thanks to that success, which marks their only win from their last five games in all tournaments - the other four have all ended in defeat - and Howe's men head south having also suffered three successive Premier League losses on rival territory.

In fact, September's 8-0 obliteration of Sheffield United remains Newcastle's only top-flight win on the road this season, although that stretched their unbeaten run against promoted teams to 16 games, and Ayoze Perez was at the double when the Magpies eased past Luton 3-1 in a 2018 FA Cup tie.

Team News

Following a few days in hospital - where he was successfully fitted with an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) - Lockyer is now recovering in the comfort of his own home, and Luton also confirmed that last weekend's collapse was unrelated to the atrial fibrillation that cut his playoff final short.

The likes of Christian Eriksen and Daley Blind have been able to resume playing after being fitted with ICDs, but there is currently no indication what Saturday's incident might mean for Lockyer's on-field career, and his spot in defence should be filled by Gabriel Osho for the foreseeable future.

Reece Burke and Dan Potts remain out with thigh issues, but Cauley Woodrow is available again following a calf injury, while Marvelous Nakamba's one-match ban carries over to Saturday's game, rendering him absent.

As for a ravaged Newcastle crop, the overworked medical team are once again taking care of Anthony Gordon, who was an enforced withdrawal against Chelsea with what Howe described as a "really nasty-looking knock" sustained in a challenge from Moises Caicedo.

Howe could not confirm whether Gordon would be available for this game, and his situation is similar to Joelinton (thigh), Fabian Schar (glute), Alexander Isak (groin) and Emil Krafth, who had to come off at half time at Stamford Bridge with a cut to the shin.

Joe Willock (calf), Javi Manquillo (groin), Harvey Barnes (foot), Nick Pope (shoulder), Jacob Murphy (shoulder), Elliot Anderson (back) and Matt Targett (thigh) make up the visitors' confirmed absentees, while Sandro Tonali continues to serve his suspension.

Luton Town possible starting lineup:
Kaminski; Mengi, Osho, Bell; Kabore, Lokonga, Barkley, Doughty; Townsend, Adebayo, Brown

Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Dubravka; Trippier, Lascelles, Botman, Burn; Miley, Guimaraes, Longstaff; Almiron, Isak, Livramento

We say: Luton Town 2-1 Newcastle United

The Kenilworth Road atmosphere has already proven intimidating enough for England's most revered clubs this season, but Newcastle will be entering a cauldron on Saturday, as Edwards's side have all the motivation they require to claim a positive result.

With midweek fatigue and disappointment also harming the Magpies, who have flattered to deceive away from St James' Park all season long, we would not put it past a fired-up Luton to emerge triumphant for just the third time in the Premier League against their injury-hit visitors.


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