LutonTown: For the final home match of the season Mick Harford will be without the services of captain Kevin Nicholls as he undergoes a knee operation. Lewis Emanuel is away on compassionate leave while Ed Asafu-Adjaye remains sidelined with a sore knee and ankle knock that kept him out of Tuesday's defeat to Wycombe Wanderers.

Rochdale: Dale manager Keith Hill is sweating over the fitness of trio Craig Dawson (dead leg), Kallum Higginbotham (ankle ligaments) and Scott Wiseman (hernia) ahead of Saturday's clash at Kenilworth Road.

Mick Harford (talking to lutontown.co.uk): "The main injury concern is to Kevin Nicholls who is having an operation on his knee, so his season is over. We'll get him back ready for next season and with Ed and Lewis out it is obviously disappointing. However we've got a duty to the other teams in the league and a duty to our supporters to try and get as many points from the last two games. We will approach the game to win it. It will be tough. They have one or two players out themselves but their manager [Keith Hill] will want to get them ready for the play-offs."

Rochdale assistant manager Dave Flitcroft (talking to rochdaleafc.co.uk): "Getting the result that we need on Saturday will be far from easy. Luton have got some real quality in their side. We went to watch them in midweek and it looked like a 0-0 draw all day long but Wycombe who are obviously going to get out of this division sat back and pinched it. It is a tough ask but it is one that we are relishing. We want to get down there and get prepared. Obviously come 3 o'clock on Saturday the Luton boys are going to play with a good amount of freedom and that will make them dangerous opponents. We will have to hit that head on and it is something that we will be asking the players to do."

Adam joined Dale from Stockport for an undisclosed fee in July 2007, signing a three-year contract at Spotland.

The 21-year old had a successful loan spell with Dale in the second half of the 2006/07 season, scoring four goals in seven appearances.

Adam was a regular in Dale's first team squad last term and rewarded the manager's faith in him with a fine hat-trick in the 4-1 defeat of Accrington Stanley in March.

He finished the season as the club's top scorer with 17 goals in all competitions, yet his brace of penalties in Dale's recent 3-0 defeat of Bradford meant he had already reached that total by mid-March this term. He is currently the Club's top scorer with 21 in all competitions.

D W L D L

Rochdale have suffered a blip in recent weeks with just one win from their last six games, that coming over strugglers Port Vale at Spotland.

The shock result was the 4-0 defeat at Bournemouth at the beginning of the month, when a hat-trick from Brett Pitman helped the Cherries to their best win of the season.

Dale go into the game today on the back of a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Darlington. Prior to Saturday's early kick-off Dale still had a realistic chance of automatic promotion but a goal from Jason Kennedy and an own goal from Rory McArdle look to have put paid to that.

Keith Hill's side currently sit six points off the top three with just six to play for so it looks like they'll have to make do with the Play-Offs once more.

Luton wins: 7

Rochdale wins: 4

Draws: 1

These two sides have only met 12 times, despite the first meeting coming 44 years ago! That came in September 1965, when both clubs were in the bottom tier of English football and Luton ran out 2-1 winners at Spotland. In the reverse fixture at Kenilworth the Hatters secured an impressive 4-1 win.

There have always been goals in this fixture with 35 scored in just 12 games, 21 of which have come from the Hatters, while Dale have netted 14 times.

Two of those goals came back in November when strikes from Lee Thorpe and Adam Le Fondre secured Keith Hill's side a 2-0 victory.

Rochdale have only won once at Luton in five attempts, that coming in their last meeting in October 2001. Former Manchester United striker Paul Wheatcroft, who was on loan from Bolton Wanderers, scored the only goal of the game after 39 minutes. The youngster played just six games on loan and that goal proved to be one of only three league goals he scored before dropping out of the league.

In the Luton Town side that day was Kevin Nicholls, while the man he came up against in the middle of the park was Dale's Gary Jones who is hoping to return from injury this afternoon.

The Hampshire official is making his second visit to Kenilworth Road this season on Saturday.

It was back in October when the whistler took charge of the Hatters' 2-1 defeat to Darlington.

He joined the National list of referees in 2008 and so far this season he has shown a total of 55 yellow cards and three reds in the 19 games he has overseen this term.

The Hatters are a 13/5 chance to beat Rochdale on Saturday with the visitors chalked up as the even money favourites while the draw is a 5/2 shot.

If you think the Town will repeat the scoreline of their Johnstone's Paint Trophy win then 3-2 victory is 40/1.

Tom Craddock scored the winning goal the last time the Hatters tasted success at Kenilworth and he's 13/2 to score the first goal against the Dale.

Log on to bet365 for full match odds

For full match commentary remember to log on to Hatters World.

Please click here for more details