Luton Town vs Preston North End Prediction: Bloomfield off to a winning start?

Luton Town’s new era will begin on Saturday as Matt Bloomfield takes charge of his first game in charge, against Preston, at Kenilworth Road. After a whirlwind ride up the Premier League under Nathan Jones and Rob Edwards, Bloomfield has taken charge of a club that has lost its way this term. 

Luton currently sit in 20th position, just two points above the relegation zone, so a win is vital as they face Preston at 15:00 on Saturday afternoon. Below you can find my Luton Town vs Preston North End predictions featuring team news and betting tips. 

Team News

Bloomfield’s first XI will give some indication on how he wants Luton to set up moving forward, but given he has only been in charge for a matter of days, perhaps he will lean on the experience throughout the squad. He played an attacking 4-2-3-1 at Wycombe so I’d expect that to transfer over here, with the likes of Carlton Morris and Marvelous Nakamba likely to be included. 

Isaiah Jones started against Nottingham Forest on the right wing having joined from Middlesbrough for around £5m and he could play a big role under the new boss. On the injury front, Shandon Baptiste, Alfie Doughty, Reece Burke and Tom Lockyer remain sidelined, while Teben Mendi is out for the next few months. 

Brentford loanee Jayden Meghoma could make his debut for Preston North End after joining on Thursday. The versatile teenager could assist in attacking areas, but could also give Kaine Kesler-Hayden a break at wing-back, given he has played all 90 minutes in 15 of his 24 Championship appearances this season.

"It gives us that opportunity now to have more competition, more cover and better balance to the team," boss Paul Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire.

In another positive for PNE, Robbie Brady is back in contention having recovered from a cracked rib that has kept him out for the last month. He is their star man at left wing-back and the squad is looking a lot healthier now with his return. To complete a hat-trick of positives, Ryan Ledson is also back available after the birth of his child kept him out of the last game. This game is likely to come too soon for Brad Potts however, as he gets closer and closer to a return, with Heckingbottom wary of another setback.

Luton Town vs Preston North End Odds

Luton are available at 6/5 to win their seventh home game of the season, while Preston can be backed at 12/5 to bag just their second away win. That gives Luton an implied win probability of 45%, while a draw can be backed at 9/4. 

Luton have seen over 2.5 goals come in during 58% of their matches so far, and that is priced at 11/10 while BTTS is 5/6. Elijah Adebayo and Morris are both priced at 6/1 to open the scoring. 

Luton to win @ 6/5

I’m going to back Luton to win here, which is putting a lot of faith in Bloomfield and the impact he can have in just a couple of days. I’ll give you the stats for you to make up your own mind, and they don’t make for good reading from a Hatters perspective. Luton have lost their last four games, and have the joint-second worst defensive record in the division, shipping 44 goals from their 26 games.

However, Bloomfield is the fresh face they need and I’m a big fan of his work. This is a squad that has enough talent in it to climb the division, they potentially just need fresh ideas and a new voice, as the relationship with Rob Edwards clearly went stale. I also think a home fixture against Preston is a kind one. 

I think the returning Brady will help things, but they are a lower mid-table outfit this term and Luton can get the better of them here. Hopefully, positivity will return to Kenilworth Road and Bloomfield can get off to a winning start. 

Luton 1-0 Preston @ 6/1

I was going to back under 1.5 goals as my second selection, but given I’m backing the home side to come out on top, I might as well plump for a correct score. 1-0 to Luton may not sound sexy for Bloomfield’s first game in charge, but I don’t think this is going to be a particualarly sexy game of football in truth. 

Luton have been hit and miss all season and I think it is going to take a few weeks before they really fire under their new boss, but what I am expecting to see from their players is more desire. They are coming up against a PNE outfit who are well-organised and physically strong, so I can see this one being an encounter decided by fine margins. I will back a slim home win here, and the price of 6/1 for a 1-0 is appealing given the circumstances that have unfolded this week. 

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