Team News:
Jack Taylor has served his one match suspension following his red card at Forest Green Rovers. Richard Brindley his still out (foot) whilst Curtis Weston (calf) and John Akinde (knee) are recovering.
Last Time We Met:
The Hatters were 1-0 victors here at The Hive back in April. Olly Lee scored the only goal of the game in the 67th minute with a left footed shot from the centre of the box.
The match was watched in front of a crowd of 3,313, a figure likely to be eclipsed on Saturday.
Manager:
Welshman Nathan Jones was appointed as John Still’s successor in January 2016. A former coach and assistant-manager at Brighton & Hove Albion, Charlton Athletic and Yeovil Town, he was a player at Kenilworth Road in 1995 but left without making an appearance.
Jones spent a year in Spain before returning to the UK and playing for Southend, Brighton and Yeovil, making over 500 appearances. The 44-year-old began his coaching qualifications while still a player with Yeovil, initially coaching the Ladies team, and achieved his UEFA Pro-Licence in 2014.
In March 2016 Jones signed a new three-and-a-half year contract with the Hatters to tie him to the club until 2020. His first full season in the hot-seat ended with a fourth-placed finish and qualification for the League Two play-offs.
Dangerman:
James Collins will be the one to watch for the Hatters following his summer move from Crawley Town. The forward scored 22 goals in his 51 appearances last campaign and registered 2 assists.
In last week’s 8-2 victory over Yeovil Town, he bagged a hat-trick and two assists and the Bees back line will have to be on top form to keep him quiet.
Connections:
Midfielder Luke Gambin signed for the Kenilworth Road club from Barnet midway through January. The Maltese international made 124 appearances for the Bees, scoring 15 times and had progressed all the way through our youth setup before becoming a first team regular. Gambin was a part of our Conference winning side in 2014/15
Last Time Out:
Luton were knocked out of the Carabao Cup midweek at home to Championship side Ipswich Town.
A brace from David McGoldrick brought the Hatters back down to earth following their headline making 8-2 win. The match was a fairly even affair but the second-tier opposition showed their class to grind out a victory.
Luton: Stech, Cuthbert, Stacey, O.Lee, Cook (Mullins, 86), Shinnie, Rea, Mpanzu, Collins, E.Lee (Gambin, 74), Sheehan. Unused subs: Senior, McQuoid, Bakinson, Shea, Musonda
Matchday Arrangements:
The West Stand Bar and Pecking Order will be open from 12:30, both showing the live lunchtime Premier League game. The home ticket office will be open from 12:30 and turnstiles will open at 1:30pm (excluding West which open at 12:30)
Luton supporters can read this guide.
Ticket info:
Supporters can purchase tickets for the game here.
Keep up with the game:
Full match commentary from every game is available on iFollow. If you are based outside of the UK & Ireland, you can watch the game live on iFollow.
You can also get live match updates on Twitter throughout the afternoon. We are also on Facebook and will go behind the scenes on our Instagram.
