Team News:
Shaquile Coulthirst will miss the fixture and could also miss the home clash with Coventry City on Saturday due to a tight hamstring picked up against Wycombe.
John Akinde (hamstring), Jamie Stephens (knee) and Curtis Weston (knee) are all recovering from their knocks.
Dave Tarpey (knee), Elliott Johnson (knee) and Richard Brindley (foot) are still sidelined with their long-term injuries.
Last Time We Met:
The first home game of this season saw Barnet overcome Luton Town 1-0 at The Hive London via a 90th minute winner by Jack Taylor.
The win was even more remarkable due to the clean sheet kept by Jamie Stephens, against a side that beat Yeovil Town 8-2 in the previous league fixture.
Manager: Nathan Jones
Welshman 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:
If selected, Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu is a central midfielder who also has the ability to play as a defender. He joined The Hatters from West Ham United initially on loan in November 2013, before making it permanent in January 2014.
Despite heavy interest from Championship clubs, he decided to sign a new contract with Luton in August 2017, keeping him at the club until 2020, with the option of another year.
The 23-year-old has made over 120 appearances in his time at Kenilworth Road, scoring seven goals and picking up 18 assists. With time on his side, there’s no reason why Ruddock can’t progress even further and show West Ham what they’re missing out on.
Connections:
Malta international Luke Gambin graduated from the Barnet youth academy in 2012, going on to make 124 league appearances, scoring 15 goals from the wing. He left The Hive London for Luton Town in January 2017, making 19 league appearances and scoring one goal so far.
Olly Lee spent six months at Barnet before being loaned to Championship side Birmingham City, he made 11 league appearances for The Bees. He joined Luton from The Blues in 2015, playing 75 league games so far.
Jack Stacey has a brief loan spell at Barnet in 2015 from Reading. He joined The Hatters this summer and has featured prominently in their Sky Bet League Two fixtures.
Last Time Out:
Luton were 3-1 winners over Welsh side Newport County, cementing their place in the Sky Bet League Two play-offs, just two points off automatic promotion.
Three goals in just 23 minutes saw Luton race to a comfortable 3-0 lead, Alan Sheehan scoring a free-kick before a Danny Hylton brace, including a Panenka penalty, taking his tally to four for the season.
Newport thought they could’ve mounted a comeback after captain Joss Labadie’s goal in the 55th minute.
However, this turned out to just be a consolation with the game ending 3-1, leaving The Hatters unbeaten in five, winning four.
Luton Town: Stech, Potts, Cuthbert, Stacey, O. Lee, Hylton, Cornick (85’ Justin), Rea, Collins, Gambin (72’ Cook), Sheehan.
Unused Subs: Shea, Mullins, E. Lee, Famewo, Jarvis
Ticket info:
Prices:
Adults: £5
Under 16s: £1
Barnet fans will be in the Oak Road Stand.
Keep up with the game:
Full match commentary from every game is available on iFollow. There will be no video livestreaming of this match, or any game in the Checkatrade Trophy or FA Cup.
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.
