Preview: Bournemouth vs. Luton Town – prediction, team news, lineups

Bournemouth will once again try to get back into the Championship top two when they host Luton Town on Saturday.

The Cherries drew 1-1 with Millwall on Tuesday, missing the opportunity to overtake Swansea City, the same night that the Hatters were beaten 2-0 by Queens Park Rangers.

Match preview

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Bournemouth failed to assert their dominance against the Lions as Dominic Solanke‘s opener in first-half stoppage time was cancelled out by Matt Smith at the Vitality Stadium.

As a result, Jason Tindall‘s team are in slightly stuttering form, winning only one of their last four Championship games, included in that run is their 0-0 draw away at Luton only four weeks ago.

The Cherries are the division’s joint-highest scorers with 38 goals but have not netted more than once in a league game since their 5-0 demolition of Huddersfield Town on December 12.

This will be Bournemouth’s third home game in the space of a week after beating Oldham Athletic 4-1 in the FA Cup on the south coast last Saturday, and they have a strong record at the Vitality Stadium this season, losing just once.

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It is a first league visit to Boscombe since 2009 for Luton, when the two clubs were in the bottom half of League Two; they have had contrasting fortunes since then, with the Hatters playing five seasons of non-league football and the Cherries spending the same amount of time in the top-flight.

Indeed, it is easy to forget that Luton were in League Two only three years ago as they now sit comfortably in mid-table in the Championship primarily thanks to the work of Nathan Jones. The Bedfordshire outfit are currently 14th – 11 points clear of relegation danger and seven points behind the playoff places.

Yet to climb even higher they must improve their consistency as a defeat to a struggling QPR team in midweek followed a win over playoff chasing Bristol City and progress in the FA Cup against a youthful Reading side.

Luton have only scored five goals away from home in the Championship season – the lowest in the division – and have failed to win their last six games on the road. It does not get any easier after this weekend either as the Hatters travel to high-flying Brentford and then Chelsea in the FA Cup.

Bournemouth Championship form: WWDLWD
Bournemouth form (all competitions): WDLWWD

Luton Town Championship form: WLDLWL
Luton Town form (all competitions): LDLWWL

Team News

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Junior Stanislas is a doubt for Saturday’s game after being forced off in the second half against Millwall with an ankle injury before leaving the ground on crutches wearing a protective boot.

It means that there is a possibility of a rare start for Josh King, who may still leave Bournemouth this month, or for young Spaniard Rodrigo Riquelme.

Full-back Jack Stacey returned from a seven-week long injury against Oldham in the FA Cup before dropping to the bench in midweek but could come back into the side.

Dan Potts will once again start at left-back for Luton, but Jones has confirmed that he is keen to bring in another option in that position after Rhys Norrington-Davies‘s exit earlier this week.

Jones may also look to recruit upfront, as James Collins has not scored since his hat-trick against Preston five weeks ago, while no other forward has more than one goal this season.

Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Begovic; Cook, Simpson, Kelly; Stacey, Lerma, Cook, Smith; Brooks, Solanke, King

Luton Town possible starting lineup:
Sluga; Bree, Lockyer, Bradley, Potts; Rea; Cornick, Dewsbury-Hall, Mpanzu, LuaLua; Collins

We say: Bournemouth 2-0 Luton Town

Both managers were disappointed with their sides’ performances in midweek so will be demanding a response on Saturday; that could make for an exciting encounter, but Bournemouth’s quality should shine through.

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