The Hatters host Queens Park Rangers as both clubs look to kick off their 2021 league campaign with a win

On Tuesday, Luton Town host Queens Park Rangers in matchday 23 of the Championship at Kenilworth Road.

The hosts currently sit in 14th place in the table having beaten Bristol City 2-1 last time out in the league while at the weekend they got revenge over Reading FC in the FA Cup after they lost to the Royals 2-1 on Boxing Day.

This is quite the contrast to the visitors who are in 20th position despite what was a positive 1-1 draw against league leaders Norwich City last time out. Mark Warburton’s side had to endure a full 120 minutes of football at the weekend as they went toe to toe with Premier League opposition in the FA Cup, QPR eventually came out the losing side in an entertaining end to end matchup against there near West London rivals.

The two sides met twice last season in the league, as QPR came out victorious in the head to head as the London club claimed a victory on home soil in September beating the Hatters 3-2 despite leading three goals to the good after just 28 minutes courtesy of Ebere Eze and Nahki Wells. The reverse fixture saw Luton take a first-half lead from the spot as James Collins lashed his effort home before Dominic Ball evened the scoreline just 25 minutes from full time.

Luton Town F.C

Luton has progressed into the fourth round of the FA Cup courtesy of a 1-0 triumph over Reading on Saturday. George Moncur supplied the one and only goal of the game on the half-hour mark as Nathan Jones’ men made it into the next stage of the competition.

Luton is unbeaten in their last seven home games across all competitions, six of which have come in the Championship. They have made steady progress from what was a hard season last year as they battled near the bottom of the table. If the Bedfordshire club claims a win on Tuesday they could be looking at a play-off challenge in the coming months.

Credit: Luton Town FC

That being said, it looks like Luton could be without Joe Morrell as has a hamstring injury as well as James Bree who is likely to miss out with a knee injury. Luke Berry is also a doubt for Tuesday’s game. Despite these injuries, Luton will be confident as they have only conceded more than one goal at home five times in 20 matches at Kenilworth Road.

Queens Park Rangers

Rangers failed to make the fourth round in the FA Cup as they fell behind after goals in extra time curtsey of Decordova-Reid and Neeskens Kebano. Warburton’s side went toe to toe with a well-established side and could have taken the lead themselves on multiple occasions as the likes of Lyndon Dykes and Macauley Bonne failed to find the net.

They tried a slightly tweaked system against Fulham which saw Bright Osayi-Samuel play in an unfamiliar left wing-back role, QPR manager Warburton may result to a 5-3-2 or 4-2-3-1 which will be interesting to see how the two teams match up. Queens Park Rangers are without a win in their last 10 games across all competitions and they travel to Luton looking to turn their fortunes around after two promising performances against Norwich and Fulham over the past two games.

Credit: QPR

QPR will be without Luke Amos and Charlie Owens who are sidelined with long-term knee injuries until the latter stages of the season. Lee Wallace and Osman Kakay are near to returning for the Rs but we are unaware if Luton has come too quick for the duo following there respected groin and ankle problems. New signing Charlie Austin is expected to be involved in the game as he looks to make his debut since re-joining the club.

Conclusion

Despite QPR’s poor form, they have been playing quite well as of late against clubs who were expected to easily beat the West London team. As for Luton, they will make it very hard for QPR given their defensive record at home this season and are on a high horse of form this year. It’s an important game for both clubs as Luton look to climb towards the playoffs, as QPR look to steer themselves away from the bottom three with Warburton’s job still being questioned by the hierarchy.

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