Chelsea will be looking for their first win of the season when they host Luton Town at Stamford Bridge. The Hatters have only lost one league game since winning promotion last season, while the Blues have only earned one point from their first two games in the top tier.
Preview (Chelsea vs. Luton Town)
Mauricio Pochettino has a lot to think about as his team suffered a 3-1 away loss to West Ham United. Last Sunday Chelsea salvaged a respectable 1-1 draw against Liverpool. They displayed potential in their opening Premier League game of the new season. Nayef Aguerd’s first-half goal was offset by a lovely score from Carney Chukwuemeka. It was his first for the Blues. Two of Chelsea’s biggest investments under Todd Boehly had a miserable afternoon at the London Stadium. Enzo Fernandez, who cost £107 million to buy from Benfica in January. He missed a penalty on the stroke of halftime before Michail Antonio gave the Hammers the lead. The Argentine manager thinks it will only take a little while for his inexperienced Chelsea team to gel and string wins together.
But on Friday, Chelsea—who recently had their first three Premier League games lost—cannot afford to take Luton lightly. The West Londoners lost four of their six games against newly promoted opponents the previous season. Luton tested their mettle in their first-ever Premier League encounter away at Brighton & Hove Albion on August 12. It was just three months after winning the Championship playoff final. The Hatters came up short against an electrifying Seagulls team, who won 4-1 on the South Coast. Prior to Carlton Morris’s late-game penalty shot for Luton, the hosts Solly March, Joao Pedro, and Simon Adingra all made the net tremble.
Rob Edwards and company then had a week free to rest up and get ready for their difficult trip to Stamford Bridge. Their match against Burnley at home was postponed as Kenilworth Road underwent a significant renovation. The Hatters manager is eager to bring in at least a few more players before the deadline. Luton has made 10 additions so far this summer.
Team News
Chukwuemeka suffered a knee injury at halftime of Sunday’s loss to West Ham. He will now spend up to six weeks recovering from surgery. Wesley Fofana, Christopher Nkunku (both knee), Reece James (hamstring), Trevoh Chalobah (thigh), and Mykhaylo Mudryk are also out, and Mudryk is questionable after skipping practice on Wednesday due to an unspecified problem.
Romeo Lavia, who recently joined the Blues from Southampton, will be aiming to make his maiden Blues appearance. In the defeat to West Ham, Raheem Sterling’s performance was a standout plus for Pochettino, and the 28-year-old is anticipated to stay in attack alongside Nicolas Jackson, who is still looking for his first Chelsea goal in a competitive game. Regarding Luton, Edwards stated before the team’s loss against Brighton that Reece Burke (knee), Gabriel Osho (knee), Jordan Clark, and Dan Potts (both ankle) are all expected to miss “a few weeks” of action. It appears unlikely that any of the four will play.
The Blues have had plenty of good opportunities to score in their first two Premier League games, but we think they’ll have greater success against the Hatters and should ultimately be victorious at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea 2 – 0 Luton Town
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