Pursuing a fifth successive victory across all competitions, Manchester United trek south to battle Luton Town at their modest Kenilworth Road surroundings on Sunday afternoon.
The Hatters' most recent Premier League affair ended in a surprise 3-1 home loss to Sheffield United, while the Red Devils' Champions League charge gathered momentum with a 2-1 success at Aston Villa.
Match preview
Prior to welcoming cellar-dwelling Sheffield United to their headquarters, Luton had not lost a single home game by more than one goal in the 2023-24 campaign, only suffering narrow reverses to Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Chelsea while stealing a point off of Liverpool.
A Blades side reeling from their 5-0 slaughter at the hands of Aston Villa would seemingly prove easy pickings for the in-form Hatters, but to supporters' surprise, Luton's six-game unbeaten streak in all competitions in a comprehensive loss to their fellow promotees.
Cameron Archer, James McAtee and Vinicius Souza all breached the net of Thomas Kaminski - the latter went from zero to hero after his handball gave Carlton Morris the chance to cut the deficit in half from the penalty spot - as Rob Edwards's side suffered their first home defeat by at least two goals this term.
Survival remains in the Hatters' hands, though, as Edward's men occupy 17th place in the standings with a one-point advantage over 18th-placed Everton - who have played a game more - and Morris's consolation last weekend stretched Luton's scoring streak in the top flight to an eye-catching 11 matches.
Only Tottenham Hotspur - on a record-breaking 36-game scoring run in the division - have found the net in more consecutive Premier League matches than Edwards's troops, although there will be no awards for guessing which team last kept Luton at bay in the top flight.
Three months on from an unconvincing 1-0 success over Luton Town at Old Trafford, Man United have swapped profligacy for proficiency in front of goal, marching to their fourth successive win across Premier League and FA Cup fixtures at Aston Villa's headquarters last weekend.
Making the net bulge for the fifth game on the trot, Rasmus Hojlund prolonged his purple patch in front of goal with a first-half opener before Douglas Luiz restored parity for the hosts, but the Brazilian's shimmy celebration was premature, as substitute Scott McTominay came up with another crucial contribution in the closing stages.
New Year, new opportunities has certainly rung true for Erik ten Hag's rejuvenated Red Devils, who remain rank outsiders for the Champions League in sixth place but are now just five points behind Aston Villa, while also cutting the gap to Tottenham Hotspur down to six points on account of winning each of their last top-three fixtures.
Each of Man United's six fixtures since the turn of the year has seen Ten Hag's troops net at least two goals, and the Red Devils' jubilation has not just been limited to their on-field exploits in recent weeks, as Sir Jim Ratcliffe's 25% purchase has now been officially ratified by the Premier League and FA.
A fifth successive win on the road is the next step to prolonging the feel-good factor within the Old Trafford walls, and Man United travel south on a 12-game unbeaten run against Luton, including a 3-0 EFL Cup triumph at an empty Kenilworth Road during the 2020-21 campaign.
Team News
There were few positives for Luton to take from their humbling loss to Sheffield United, but Edwards at least witnessed no players depart with fresh injury concerns, meaning that only a quartet of athletes should be missing from the ranks this weekend.
Marvelous Nakamba (knee), Mads Andersen (calf) and recovering captain Tom Lockyer will not take on the Red Devils, and Edwards is also giving new signing Daiki Hashioka more time to acclimatise to life in England before throwing him into the Premier League deep end.
Teden Mengi was fit enough for a place on the bench against Sheffield United and should now come back in for a starting role against his former employers, as might Tahith Chong, who will scrap with Andros Townsend to demote Jordan Clark to the dugout.
From former Man United defenders to current members of the Old Trafford rearguard, Ten Hag withdrew Luke Shaw at half time in the win over Aston Villa for precautionary reasons, and there is still a question mark over the Englishman's fitness for the weekend.
The Red Devils boss is optimistic that Shaw will make the cut, which is more than can be said for fellow full-backs Aaron Wan-Bissaka (unspecified) and Tyrell Malacia (knee), while Anthony Martial (groin), Lisandro Martinez (knee) and Mason Mount (calf) remain absent too.
Victor Lindelof - whose side was targeted when Shaw came off against Aston Villa - will be the emergency solution in defence if the ex-Southampton man cannot make the cut, but Ten Hag otherwise has no need to alter a winning formula, in spite of another pivotal McTominay intervention.
Luton Town possible starting lineup:
Kaminski; Bell, Osho, Mengi; Ogbene, Barkley, Lokonga, Doughty; Townsend, Morris; Adebayo
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
Onana; Dalot, Varane, Maguire, Shaw; Mainoo, Casemiro; Garnacho, Fernandes, Rashford; Hojlund
We say: Luton Town 1-3 Manchester United
Making up for defensive vulnerabilities with free-flowing attacking sequences has been Man United's forte in 2024 thus far, and the red-hot Red Devils should continue in the same vein against a team whom they have not lost to in 37 years.
Luton can normally pat themselves on the back after a Premier League home game, but confidence may be dented by last weekend's loss to the basement boys, and an identical scoreline could be on the cards this time around.
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