Since this article was published, this game has been called off due to a coronavirus outbreak in the Luton Town squad. A new date for the game will be confirmed in due course.

Match preview

Luton Town manager Nathan Jones reacts on October 19, 2021 © Reuters

All things considered, Luton will not have too many complaints with sitting safely in mid-table at this stage of the season having collected 29 points from their 22 games.

Nevertheless, there is a feeling that they have marginally underachieved after previously challenging for a playoff spot, and Nathan Jones will be conscious of that heading into the turn of the year.

On the plus side, the Hatters have shaken off suffering four defeats in six outings by claiming four points from encounters with Blackpool and Fulham.

After an enjoyable afternoon on the North-West coast, Luton delivered another improved display in holding leaders Fulham to a 1-1 draw.

Elijah Adebayo scored in each of those fixtures, ending a four-game drought to take his tally to 10 for the season.

Bristol City manager Nigel Pearson pictured on September 25, 2021 © Reuters

Bristol City have got some much-needed victories on the board of late, an eight-point return from five games easing the pressure on Nigel Pearson.

However, an unforeseen capitulation against Huddersfield Town last weekend hurt the Robins, who conceded three goals either side of half time to lose to the Terriers.

That result ended a four-game undefeated streak at Ashton Gate, and Pearson will be concerned that five goals have been conceded during their last two outings.

Andreas Weimann netted a double during the most recent contest, ending a five-match streak without a goal to move to nine strikes for the campaign.

Luton Town Championship form:

Bristol City Championship form:

Team News

Bristol City's Nathan Baker is stretchered off after sustaining an injury on November 28, 2021 © Reuters

Having witnessed his Luton side hold Fulham last time out, Jones may be prepared to stick with the same starting lineup.

While Tom Lockyer could return to the substitutes' bench, Jones is unlikely to take any risks with Harry Cornick's calf injury.

Pearson has revealed that Nathan Baker and Joe Williams are the only two players who will be missing for Bristol City.

The returning Andy King may have to settle for a spot among the replacements, but Cameron Pring or Callum O'Dowda could feature at left wing-back.

Antoine Semenyo will continue to get the nod over Nahki Wells in the final third.

Luton Town possible starting lineup:
Shea; Burke, Bradley, Naismith; Bree, Campbell, Mpanzu, Bell; Clark, Adebayo, Muskwe

Bristol City possible starting lineup:
Bentley; Vyner, Atkinson, Kalas; Scott, Massengo, James, Pring; Weimann; Semenyo, Martin

SM words green background

We say: Luton Town 1-1 Bristol City

Both teams are far enough ahead of the relegation zone to play with a certain level of freedom at the weekend. Nevertheless, given their respective inconsistencies, we are backing a low-scoring draw to play out between two evenly-matched sides.

Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Luton Town win with a probability of 55.22%. A draw had a probability of 23.3% and a win for Bristol City had a probability of 21.52%.

The most likely scoreline for a Luton Town win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.81%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.83%) and 2-0 (9.63%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.03%), while for a Bristol City win it was 0-1 (6.2%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 9.8% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Luton Town would win this match.