Fleetwood Town are back in Sky Bet League One action this Saturday afternoon, and will face high-flying Luton Town.
Town make the journey down south on Saturday afternoon to face Nathan Jones' Luton Town. The Bedfordshire based side are unbeaten at home this season and currently sit third in the Sky Bet League One table.
Joey Barton’s side have done well on the road this season, especially with the wins over Scunthorpe United and Doncaster Rovers being the noticeable victories for the Cod Army. Two wins out of two now after a 3-0 win over Coventry City and Guiseley in the Emirates FA Cup give Town confidence going into this tie.
Joey Barton spoke to the media ahead of the match, and here is what he had to say…
Town boss Joey Barton said…
“We know the task ahead of us, everyone knows how well Luton are doing at home, but we certainly have a squad that could go there and upset the form book. We’ll have a strategy, and a game plan, in place to try and do what’s best for our group and get the best opportunity to take something out of that game.
“I watched them against Bury on Sunday and they don’t fill me with fear. They’re a good side, and they have good home form, but they have a number of weaknesses. We’ve just got to make sure that we stop their strengths and exploit their weaknesses.”
Luton manager Nathan Jones said…
“Saturday is a big game for us as Joey Barton has got them playing and we know it will be a tough games. We are in good form after recent league wins and we come into that on the back of a good game in midweek.
“We need to make sure our league form continues as it has been wonderful for the last three months, especially the last two and we need to make sure that continues against a strong Fleetwood side.”
Last five results in Sky Bet League One (from the left):
Fleetwood Town: W L D L W (Currently 12th on 27 points)
Luton Town: W W W D W (Currently 3rd on 38 points)
Last time we met…
The last time Fleetwood and Luton met was back in the 2011/12 season when both teams were in the Blue Square Premier. The Hatters came away 2-0 winners on the 28th April 2012 thanks to goals from Andre Gray, and an own goal. Despite the defeat, Town still went on to finish first in the league table.
In the first meeting of the season, it was Town who picked up all three points with Jamie Vardy and Jamie Milligan getting on the scoresheet. It will be a different proposition this weekend when the two battle it out for the points, but one where both teams will relish the catch up.
One to Watch
Elliot Lee is the Hatters’ player to watch this weekend with the striker currently on ten goals for the season after 20 appearances in all competitions.
The 23-year-old striker started off his career at West Ham United in 2013, but was sent out on loan to five clubs in three years, which included clubs such as Southend United, Colchester United and Fleetwood’s local rivals Blackpool.
Lee did spend four months at Luton back in 2015 and scored three goals in 11 games for the club. Before signing for Luton in July 2017, Lee went to Barnsley for an undisclosed fee in June 2016.
Luton came calling a year later and last season, the Englishman helped the club secure position by scoring 12 goals in 30 appearances, a goal record he has managed to improve on this time out, in a higher division.
Betting Preview
Fleetwood go into this game priced 5/1 to pick up all three points against Luton, with the home side favourites at 1/2, which would see the Hatters improve their home record this season.
A draw between the two sides is currently 3/1, and you can get 12/1 odds for it to be a goalless draw at Kenilworth Road.
For the Cod Army to win, and both teams to score this weekend, there’s a special offer on at 14/1.
Ched Evans and Paddy Madden have been linking up well this season and for Evans to open the scoring on Saturday, the odds are at 8/1, same odds as his strike partner, Madden.
If you fancy an outside bet, James Husband is 100/1 to score the opening goal.
Find more odds for the game between Luton Town and Fleetwood here. Please gamble responsibly. All odds are subject to change.