That game at Kenilworth Road was fairly typical of a lot of Luton’s results in the Premier League this season, certainly against the better teams. That is to say, a narrow defeat. In fact, of the club’s 18 defeats in 2023/24, 14 of them have been by one goal or fewer and several of those have been in losses to Man Utd (twice), Spurs (twice), Arsenal, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Chelsea.
As you might expect, both clubs’ form are contrasting. Arsenal had a blip at the end of last year with three league defeats at the turn of the year but have been in scintillating form since, racking up huge victories and keeping up the pressure on Liverpool and Manchester City.
Luton, meanwhile, are almost the opposite of tonight’s opponents. After putting together a decent run at the end of last year and the start of this (12 points in six league games) Luton’s results have tailed off, with just two points in their last eight games. Despite Nottingham Forest’s four-point deduction, staying up looks possible but a very big ask at this stage.
Anything but an Arsenal victory would count as a massive upset.