The third weekend of action in the Premier League gets going on Friday night when the attention turns to the capital as Chelsea play host to the new boys Luton Town in front of the TV cameras at Stamford Bridge.
It has been impossible to move without seeing comparisons between the finances of these two clubs this week but it is the action on the pitch which is the most important thing and both will be looking to bounce back from defeat last time out.
Where to watch
The match will be shown live and in full on the Friday Night Football show on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League. That programme begins at 7pm and kick off comes at 8pm.
Chelsea
Chelsea have spent big for a third transfer window in a row but still haven’t really seen the fruits of their labour transferred to results on the pitch. They have now won just five of their last 31 Premier League matches dating back to last season and are without a win in the current campaign. Given the turnover of players at the Bridge a slow start is understandable but it can’t go on for too long without significant repercussions for those involved.
Chelsea did start the season with an acceptable draw and a fairly good performance against Liverpool on the opening weekend of the campaign, but they undid a lot of hard work in a 3-1 loss at West Ham last week, although they might quite rightly argue it would have been a different game had Enzo Fernandez scored a penalty at 1-1. He didn’t and Chelsea largely crumbled from there which would be a concern. Five days on though all at the Bridge will hope there is a bit more continuity to this performance.
Luton Town
Luton began their first season back in the top flight for 31 years with a 4-1 loss at Brighton two weeks ago and that is their only match so far this term after their game against Burnley was postponed last week. While the score looks like Luton were soundly beaten at the Amex Stadium, they were only 2-1 down with five minutes to go before Brighton pulled away from them. They will be hoping that having had a taste of what to expect they can manage their way through matches a little better from here on in.
The one thing Luton will be pleased with from that opening game was their attacking numbers. They scored a goal and could have had two others and entered the Brighton box regularly which was encouraging for a side who weren’t the highest of scorers in the Championship last term. They will know they need to improve defensively but that will come as players get up to speed and adjusted to the new level they are playing at.
Special Offer
OPEN AN ACCOUNT WITH 888SPORT AND BET £10 TO GET £30 IN FREE BETS PLUS A £10 CASINO BONUS! PERFECT OFFER TO USE ON THE PREMIER LEAGUE! CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO JOIN. USE CODE 30F. NEW ACCOUNTS ONLY. 18+ T&Cs apply (See image for significant terms). Gamble Aware.
Team News
Chelsea are suffering a few injuries with Carney Chukwuemeka and Myhailo Mudryk the latest to be unavailable for Mauricio Pochettino. Moises Caicedo could make his full debut while Romeo Lavia could be included too.
Luton Town boss Rob Edwards has confirmed that Ross Barkley is available to make his Luton debut against his former club if selected. The Hatters boss also has Reece Burke fit for selection but will be without Gabe Osho and Jordan Clark.
Betting
Chelsea are emphatic favourites to win this match but there isn’t a time in this world where I can be backing a 1/4 shot to win having won just five of their last 31 matches and particularly when they looked so exposed defensively last time out. It is that latter point that I am happy to play on here because that gives encouragement that Luton can contribute to the scoring in this game which makes the overs in goals a reasonable play.
The line for this one is 2.75 which feels very low given that Chelsea can’t just win this game to silence their critics. They have to win with a convincing performance and in good fashion but whether they can do that with their defence the way it is remains to be seen. Luton have made it perfectly clear that they are not going into this division just to make up the numbers and they were true to their word at Brighton. This just feels like it has goals all over it.
Tips
Back Over 2.75 goals for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2023
