Luton vs QPR Prediction: Adebayo to get up and running

Luton Town and Queens Park Rangers prepare for their second meeting of the week as they go head-to-head at Kenilworth Road in the Championship on Friday (20:00, Sky Sports Main Event).

QPR defeated the Hatters 4-1 on penalties in midweek as they squared up in the second round of the Carabao Cup, so the hosts will be eager for swift revenge. Below you will find my Luton vs QPR prediction, accompanied by match odds and team news.

Luton vs QPR Odds

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Luton are 4/5 to pick up their first league win of the season, which gives them an implied probability of 55.6%. QPR are 3/1 to collect their first three points of the campaign, giving them a 25% chance. The draw is on offer at 12/5 (29.4%).

Both teams to score can be backed at 8/11 and over 2.5 goals is priced at 4/5.

Football Odds

Team News

After making changes at Loftus Road in midweek for the Carabao Cup, Hatters boss Rob Edwards is likely to revert back to a similar side to the one that faced Preston in the Championship last weekend.

Mark McGuinness should come back into the three-man defence, while Liam Walsh could pinch a spot in the midfield. Luton were boosted by the return of Marvelous Nakamba in midweek, but he could drop down to the bench for this clash as he bids to return to full fitness.

Chiedozie Ogbene has left Luton for Ipswich Town, so his departure will give Edwards a decision to make on the right flank.

For QPR, boss Marti Cifuentes has a choice to make in midfield with Jack Colback returning from suspension. He will compete with summer signing Nicolas Madsen for a place in the middle of the park.

Michael Frey and Sam Field were rested in the cup tie, but should return to the team this weekend, with the former having netted against Plymouth Argyle last weekend. Zan Celar will be Frey's competition for a place up front as Lyndon Dykes has departed for Birmingham City in League 1.

Luton and both teams to score @ 13/5

Luton's start to the season has been somewhat surprising, losing two of their opening two matches. Their only point came in a goalless draw at Portsmouth, but after three consecutive games on the road, they are back at Kenilworth Road.

They will be hoping that this homecoming can help them find some rhythm in the second tier and secure their first three points of the season. The Hatters will also have the extra motivation against Friday's opponents having been knocked out of the Carabao Cup by the Rs on Tuesday.

Edwards will demand a response and he will hope that being back home can spark a turn in their fortunes. QPR haven't started much better, either, with just two points from their first three outings, which makes this Friday night clash all the more interesting.

The Hatters may have lost key player Ross Barkley over the summer, and now Ogbene has moved on, but they still have a few attacking players who did well for them last year in the likes of Carlton Morris, Elijah Adebayo, Tahith Chong and Alfie Doughty.

These four players are guaranteed starters and I think they can have a huge impact in the outcome of this match. Morris and Adebayo netted 21 Premier League goals between them in 2023/24, but both are yet to get off the mark this term. I think this could change on Friday, which should help Luton taste their first league win.

I do see QPR getting on the scoresheet, however, as they have found the back of the net in all five of their matches played this term across all competitions.

Elijah Adebayo anytime goalscorer @ 7/5

The hosts' strike partnership of Adebayo and Morris was crucial to them last season and also in their promotion campaign two years ago, so it is only a matter of time until they start finding their scoring boots in 2024/25.

For me, I think Adebayo can open his account this weekend with the Hatters back on home soil. Kenilworth Road was where he scored eight of his goals in the top-flight last term and so it is where he is at his most threatening.

QPR have failed to keep a clean sheet in all competitions thus far, so that has also played into my thinking here. The Rs are still vulnerable at the back, as are Luton, but they will be facing a pair of strikers with valuable Premier League experience behind them which should make life difficult on Friday night.

Adebayo's towering frame offers a threat from set-pieces and crosses from open play, but he is also neat when the ball is at his feet, so he can score chances from a whole host of different situations. That is why I think he is worth backing to get on the scoresheet in this clash.

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