Luton Town vs Burnley Preview
The Championship kicks off this weekend with some fantastic fixtures. One of the most intriguing will take place at Kenilworth Road. It’s a clash between two newly relegated sides with Luton set to host Burnley on Monday, August 12th at 8 pm.
Both teams have ambitions of an immediate return to the Premier League. Burnley has a new manager in Scott Parker. Meanwhile, it’s more of the same for Luton, who continues to put their faith in Rob Edwards.
Opening-day games are notoriously difficult to predict and two former Premier League sides face a tricky reintroduction to the EFL Championship. This promises to be an entertaining start to the new season.
Luton Town vs Burnley FC Key Stats and Head-to-Head
It’s fair to say that Luton and Burnley know each other very well. Only two points separated them in the Premier League last season as both teams went down. Luton enjoyed an exciting start with some eye-catching results. Ultimately, they ran out of gas as they lacked the squad depth to maintain momentum.
Meanwhile, Burnley had an atrocious introduction to top-flight life under Vincent Kompany. The Belgian boss improved their form after the New Year, but the damage was already done. They paid the price for their poor run and Kompany departed in the summer for Bayern Munich. Scott Parker has stepped up and will take charge this weekend.
Parker inherits a side with immense potential. They play attractive football and dominated the Championship when they won it in 2022/23. Fans expect an immediate return to the Premier League, so there is some pressure on Parker’s shoulders. He has a decent record with Fulham and Bournemouth, so he’s a good fit for this job.
Luton had a rough end to their Premier League campaign. They only took a single point from their last five games. Rob Edwards’ side has played five preseason games with only one victory. It’s important not to read too much into this because preseason is mostly about regaining fitness.
Relegated sides often lose their best players, but both sides have retained the core of their squads. Luton has arguably suffered the biggest blow after Ross Barkley departed for Aston Villa. The former Everton star had a brilliant return to the Premier League as he revived his career. He leaves a gaping hole in midfield. They’ve also lost left-back Ryan Giles to their Championship rivals, Hull City.
Luton has kept some of their other key players, including Andros Townsend, Chiedozie Ogbene, and Thomas Kaminski. All these stars impressed last term and should help propel Luton up the league. Ogbene’s pace and inexhaustible work-rate should have earned him suitors, but so far nobody has bid for him.
Shandon Baptiste is arguably Luton’s highest-profile signing so far. He arrives on a free transfer from Brentford and hopes to kick-start his career. Luton has yet to pay a fee for a player but reportedly retains a strong interest in Cardiff’s Mark McGuinness.
One of the biggest questions for Burnley is who will be between the sticks on opening day. James Trafford lost his place before the end of last season but has strong links to several Premier League sides. Meanwhile, Ivo Muric joined Ipswich for a sizeable fee. Burnley signed Czech international Václav Hladký, who could be their starter this season.
Scott Parker has made two exciting signings. They’ve bought Mike Tresor permanently for €18 million after a successful loan spell. Burnley also added Maxime Esteve from Montpellier for a reported €12 million. However, Ireland’s Dara O’Shea could be on the way out, with strong links to Brentford and Celtic.
Luton has failed to beat Burnley in their past eight attempts. The two sides had four draws since 2005 with The Clarets winning the other games. Burnley won 2-1 when they met at Kenilworth Road last November. Then they drew 1-1 at Turf Moor in January.
This game was memorable because Carlton Morris cancelled Zeki Amdouni’s opener in the 92nd minute. Burnley led in the first half thanks to their Swiss forward’s deflected goal. They thought they had done enough to secure three crucial points. But Morris had other ideas.
The Luton player equalised with a stoppage-time header that infuriated the Burnley fans. It appeared Elijah Adebayo had impeded Burnley keeper James Trafford. However, the referee gave the goal after an extensive VAR check. Ultimately, this result didn’t have a major impact on their seasons, as both teams fell well short of safety.
Luton’s biggest issue ahead of this game is their defence is light. They have few options at the back and lack depth on the bench. There’s an opportunity for Burnley to exploit this. The Hatters conceded three goals against Celta Vigo in their final friendly, so this is a concern for their fans.
Despite this, their home advantage makes them the slight favourite. Kenilworth Road is a horrible stadium for away teams and fans to visit. The atmosphere will be frenetic as they make their return to the Championship.
Luton Town vs Burnley FC Predictions
Predicted Score: Luton 2 – 1 Burnley
Our soccer prediction is for Luton to win their opening Championship game. They have a settled team and a coherent system under Rob Edwards. This is a tough test for Scott Parker on his competitive debut as Burnley’s head coach.
Luton doesn’t receive enough credit for their attacking prowess. Players like Ogbene, Townsend, and Adebayo present a direct threat with plenty of pace and physicality. Meanwhile, former Blackburn star Kaminski is an excellent goalkeeper.
The cross from @sbap26 💫
The volley from @alfiedoughty4 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/kngl5rIiiR— Luton Town FC (@LutonTown) August 3, 2024
Burnley has quality in their ranks. Tresor is a very dangerous player who can stretch Luton’s dubious defence. The Hatters have issues at the back and may not resolve them before this match.
A draw wouldn’t be a surprising result. Check the live betting odds because If Burnley takes the lead we expect Luton to come back with guns blazing. There’s going to be a fiery atmosphere at Kenilworth Road, and this could make the difference.
Burnley fans won’t soon forget the controversy of last season, so expect to see tempers flare if this is a close match. We expect there to be only one goal separating these fairly evenly-matched sides.
Luton Town vs Burnley FC Betting Tips
The Hatters are the slightest of favourites to win this match at 7/5. A €10 stake would make €14 in profit if successful. Betting on Burnley at 9/5 would make €18 with the same stake. We don’t have confidence in either side dominating this game.
Some players will favour a draw as an outright result. This is available at 23/10 on our online betting site, with potential returns of €33. It wouldn’t surprise us because this is the first game of the season. Teams are still adapting to new coaches and returning to fitness after the summer.
Placing soccer bets is often exciting. However, remember the odds may change if either team makes a big signing or loses a key asset before this game. One option is the Anytime Correct Score. It’s 22/25 for either side to take a 1-0 lead at any point in this clash. This time, €10 would make an €8.80 profit. It’s a good option given the attacking talent on both sides.
Check over-under betting too. Players can wager on the number of goals, red cards, and corners in this match. We predict there will be under 3.5 goals with odds of 4/11. Meanwhile, there’s likely to be at least 10 corners.
Don’t forget to look beyond this match. Burnley are the second favourite for anyone betting on the winner of the Championship. The current price is 19/10 for them to lift the trophy at the end of the season. It’s 11/10 for Luton Town to finish in the top 6 and secure a playoff place.
The Player Specials also throws up some great options. Luton’s Carlton Morris is 14/1 to be the Championship’s top scorer this season. Burnley’s Lyle Foster is a less likely option at 40/1. Consider using our welcome bonus to bet on him for a fun wager with no extra risk.
Luton Town Team News and Predicted Lineup
Rob Edwards has some big decisions ahead of this Championship game. Shandon Baptiste played in their last preseason friendly against Celta Vigo. He’ll attempt to fill Ross Barkley’s shoes in midfield. Elsewhere, it will be a familiar starting line-up for Luton. They’ve retained most of their stalwarts and hope this continuity helps them to win this game.
- Luton Predicted Lineup: Kaminski, Ogbene, Walters, Mengi, Johnson, Doughty, Baptiste, Clark, Chong, Morris, Adebayo.
Burnley FC Team News and Predicted Lineup
New coach Scott Parker played arguably his strongest XI in their final friendly against Cadiz. The most notable aspect of this was that the new signing Hladký started in goal. James Trafford may be on his way out, so this isn’t a major shock.
There are big questions about Sander Berge’s future with Manchester United interested. That deal may conclude before this game, but he’ll play if they can’t complete a deal. Likewise, Dara O’Shea may be on his way out. However, Parker will approach this match as if both players are available.
- Burnley Predicted Lineup: Hladký, Egan-Riley, Esteve, O’Shea, Pires, Cullen, Berge, Tresor, Brownhill, Odobert, Foster.
