Luton Town will welcome Hull City to Kenilworth Road on Saturday for a crucial game at the bottom end of the Championship table.
The two sides are both tied on 15 points having suffered defeats before the November international break and only lead the relegation zone on goal difference.
Match preview
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Luton Town return to Championship action from the international break at the weekend aiming to bounce back from a dismal start to their first campaign back in England's second tier after suffering Premier League relegation last time around.
After 15 games of the season, the Hatters currently sit 21st having only earned 15 points, with no other side in the division having suffered more than their eight defeats at this stage while only Portsmouth have conceded more than the 26 goals they have allowed.
Three of their four wins in that time have come on home turf, while only one has come in the last five games for Rob Edwards's men, following up losses to Sunderland and Coventry City and a draw with West Bromwich Albion by beating Cardiff City 1-0 thanks to Jacob Brown's goal on the hour mark.
Aiming to build a much-improved run on the back of that result, Edwards's side most recently visited Middlesbrough prior to the November break and left empty-handed owing to a 5-1 beating, having gone 4-0 down to a Delano Burgzorg brace and Emmanuel Latte Lath and Finn Azaz goals, before Brown pulled one back and Azaz added insult to injury in the dying minutes.
With pressure bound to be growing around Kenilworth Road and only leading the relegation zone on goal difference, Edwards and Luton will be desperate to begin reversing their fortunes with a crucial return to winning ways at Kenilworth Road on Saturday.
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Their visitors travel south in a similar position, having also endured a tough start to the new Championship campaign.
Following the summer appointment of Tim Walter, Hull City are yet to kick into gear in England's second tier, currently sitting 19th after last season's seventh-placed finish having only managed three victories.
Those triumphs all came consecutively across late September and early October, and the Tigers have failed to add another notch to their wins column in seven further attempts since, picking up just three points in the process.
Following 1-1 draws against Burnley, Derby County and Portsmouth, Walter's men headed into the break on the back of consecutive defeats, losing away at Oxford United and at home to West Bromwich Albion most recently, with Karlan Grant and Josh Maja firing the latter to a 2-1 triumph at the MKM Stadium with early goals.
With pressure also ramping up on Walter, given they also only lead the drop zone on goal difference, Hull City will bid to end their near-two-month wait for a fourth win of the Championship season to increase their cushion at the weekend.
Team News
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Luton Town head into the weekend without midfielder Jordan Clark, who is suspended after being shown a fifth yellow card of the season against Middlesbrough before the break, while defenders Reuell Walters, Reece Burke and Alfie Doughty could all remain confined to the treatment room.
Given those absences, Tom Holmes should again join Teden Mengi and Mark McGuinness in a back three, leaving Amari'i Bell to deputise in a left wing-back role.
Marvelous Nakamba could return to the midfield from the outset, likely joining Shandon Baptiste, while Carlton Morris and Jacob Brown will both compete to start in attack after Cauley Woodrow joined Elijah Adebayo and Tahith Chong last time out.
Hull City have several selection concerns of their own, with Oscar Zambrano serving an ongoing suspension and Mohamed Belloumi and Liam Millar remaining sidelined by injuries, while Marvin Mehlem and Steven Alzate may not be deemed fit in time to feature.
Joao Pedro will continue to lead the line, having netted his first two goals for the Tigers in the three games before the November break, while Abu Kamara could return from his own injury setback to line up on the wing.
He could join Gustavo Puerta and Abdulkadir Omur in support of the lone front man, while Regan Slater and Xavier Simons should again partner up in the engine room.
Luton Town possible starting lineup:
Kaminski; Holmes, Mengi, McGuinness; Hashioka, Baptiste, Nakamba, Bell; Chong; Morris, Adebayo
Hull City possible starting lineup:
Pandur; Coyle, Jones, Hughes, Drameh; Simons, Slater; Omur, Puerta, Kamara; Pedro
We say: Luton Town 2-1 Hull City
Saturday's meeting is crucial for both teams in their bid to put a tough start to the season behind them.
Luton Town are yet to show their quality on their return to the Championship but should have enough to get over the line at Kenilworth Road against a Hull City side also struggling for confidence.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Sam Varley
