Luton vs Aston Villa Prediction: Leaky defences to take centre stage

Sky Sports' pick for this Saturday evening's Premier League action comes from Kenilworth Road as Luton Town host Aston Villa, with kick-off at 17:30.

Betfred are running their famed Double Delight & Hat-trick Heaven offer on this match, meaning that if Luton's Carlton Morris, for example, scores first and then nets again, you will be paid at double the odds (12/1). If he grabs a hat-trick, you will be paid out at a whopping 18/1!

Luton head into this fixture in 18th, four points behind Nottingham Forest, while the visitors hold a five-point lead over Tottenham Hotspur in fourth and can move to within three points of third-placed Arsenal if they pick up a victory in Bedfordshire.

Team News

The hosts are still without several players including Tom Lockyer, Elijah Adebayo, Josh Brown, Mats Andersen and former Villan Marvelous Nakamba. There are also questions marks over Amari'i Bell, who was forced off in the first-half of their 6-2 FA Cup fifth-round defeat to Manchester City in midweek.

Thomas Kaminski will return in goal in place of cup goalkeeper Tim Krul, and Gabriel Osho should be back in for his sixth consecutive Premier League appearance.

Ezri Konsa returned to Aston Villa training this week after four games out injured, but it remains to be seen if he will be risked from the start against the Hatters.

Diego Carlos, Boubacar Kamara, Tyrone Mings, Emiliano Buendia and Jhon Duran are definite absentees, but there is optimism over the availability of centre-back Pau Torres, who was substituted at half-time of last Saturday's 4-2 win over Nottingham Forest.

Match Odds

Luton are priced at 10/3 for Saturday's contest, while a victory for Villa is available at 8/11. The draw can be backed at 3/1, over 2.5 goals is 4/9 and it's 1/2 for both teams to score - Yes.

Aston Villa to win and both teams to score - Yes @ 9/5

The Villans look to be back on track after following up a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United with back-to-back victories over Fulham and Nottingham Forest.

Luton, on the other hand, have fallen back into the Premier League relegation zone after three straight losses in the competition. They have managed to find the net in each of those defeats though, while both teams have scored in three of Villa's last four league games, including their last two wins.

The Hatters should be able to break through a nervy Villa back line which could feature Calum Chambers and Clement Lenglet, but with the likes of Ollie Watkins and Douglas Luiz - who have both struck three times across their last three outings - in fine goalscoring form, the visitors should come out on top to boost their top-four aspirations.

Ross Barkley 1+ shots on target @ EVS

The 33-cap England international hasn't played for his national side since 2019, but there are growing calls for Gareth Southgate to recall him to the squad this month after some sensational displays in a Luton shirt this season.

Barkley has scored three Premier League goals for the Hatters since signing last summer, with all three arriving against top-level opposition in Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle United.

The 30-year-old hasn't been shy in trying his luck, registering over two shots per game (45 in 20 appearances). Nine of those efforts have hit the target, with two of those coming in his last four matches in the competition (against Newcastle and Liverpool). Remarkably, he managed to hit the target three times against Manchester City on Wednesday.

Up against his old club Villa, where he spent the 2020/21 campaign on loan, he looks a good bet at EVS to get at least one effort on goal.

Check out the rest of our Football Betting Tips here.