Chelsea – Luton : Preview & Prediction
Social media “trolls” had a field day after Chelsea’s 3-1 loss to 10-man West Ham at the weekend, with their two €100 million-plus players, Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, missing one penalty and conceding another between them. Just five wins in 31 Premier League (PL) games (E11, P15) doesn’t look like a great record after Todd Boehly’s near multi-million dollar renovation.
Of course, Chelsea is a work in progress and manager Mauricio Pochettino’s call for “belief in the process” after their latest defeat reflected that sentiment. Still, Chelsea are now winless in the first two rounds of the PL for only the second time since they did so in 2015/16, and there is no guarantee they will overcome newly-promoted Luton Town after failing to win in four of their six league games against newly-promoted sides last season (G2, E3, P1).
Rob Edwards’ Luton have enjoyed an extra week to heal their wounds after their baptism of fire in their 4-1 opening day defeat to Brighton due to the ongoing work to bring Kenilworth Road up to PL standard. While there is no shame in being humbled by the Seagulls, there is real concern that the Hatters could be outclassed by most teams this season, especially as most of their signings this summer performed in the EFL last season.
The addition of goalkeeper Tim Krul, who Edwards described as a “proper guy, who has an air of confidence”, gives them at least some much-needed PL experience between the sticks. If they are to start what would arguably be the greatest case of overcoming in PL history here, they will need to strengthen at the back after conceding six goals in their only two meetings this century against Chelsea, both in the FA Cup and from 2021.
Players to watch: Instead of putting in the performance that saw him score nine times in his last eight La Liga appearances, Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson has just a pair of yellow cards to show for his two PL appearances to date. Luton’s Ross Barkley will face his former club for the first time since leaving, but managed four assists in nine meetings between them as an Everton player.
Standout Fact: Only the three relegated teams and Everton had a lower win rate as pre-match favorites than Chelsea (38%) in last season’s PL (G11, E9, P9).
Chelsea – Luton : Betting Tips
OVER 2.5 GOALS Odds: 1.60
