Luton Town vs Blackburn Rovers predictions: Hatters heading for another stalemate
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- Luton are on a five-match unbeaten run but still find themselves second-bottom in the Championship
- Blackburn have gone eight games a win, meaning any slim play-off hopes have faded
- Recommended bet: Draw
After picking up exactly where his predecessor Rob Edwards left off, Matt Bloomfield is finally getting a tune out of his relegation-threatened Luton Town side, going five matches without a defeat.
That run has given the Championship’s second-bottom side a fighting chance at survival - they are now just two points adrift of safety - and the Hatters will be looking to extend their run when Blackburn Rovers visit Kenilworth Road on Saturday.
Rovers’ hopes of making the play-offs have faded since John Eustace’s exit. New boss Valerien Ismael is still searching for a first win with the Lancashire club, suggesting they could be in for a tough time in Bedfordshire.
Team news
Alfie Doughty was forced off in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Stoke, meaning he joins Elijah Adebayo, Jacob Brown, Marvelous Nakamba, Shandon Baptiste and Tom Lockyer on a lengthy Luton injury list.
Blackburn also have their own injury woes. Joe Rankin-Costello will be assessed after suffering an abductor injury on Tuesday and he could miss out alongside Owen Beck, Harry Leonard, Andreas Weimann, Scott Wharton, Emmanuel Dennis, Hayden Carter, Callum Britain and Augustus Kargbo.
The stats
Luton’s five-match unbeaten run includes three draws.
Blackburn drew with Sheffield Wednesday last time to snap a four-game losing streak.
Rovers have, however, lost four straight away matches.
Luton are unbeaten in four home matches, drawing three of those.
Three of these sides’ last five meetings finished level.
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Prediction
Nobody would have expected Luton to be in danger of suffering back-to-back relegations with five games remaining, but that is exactly the predicament they find themselves in.
However, after a season of poor results, the Hatters are finally giving their fans hope that they can stop the rot and remain a Championship side.
They have strung together a five-match unbeaten run and, including draws with promotion contenders Leeds and Middlesbrough in that sequence, so they will be confident of securing three points against mid-table Blackburn.
Rovers’ season has fizzled out and Ismael’s appointment as manager hasn’t quite gone to plan as of yet, with the Frenchman managing just two points from his opening seven matches.
It is therefore clear to see why Luton are such strong favourites for Saturday’s clash, but winning is not something which comes easy to the Hatters.
Bloomfield has won just three of his 15 matches since taking charge at Kenilworth Road and while they are unbeaten in four home games, only one of those fixtures resulted in three points.
Blackburn are playing for very little but they still boast plenty of talent and Ismael’s industrious tactics can often frustrate opponents, suggesting a fourth draw in six meetings could be on the cards when these sides do battle in Bedfordshire this weekend.
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