The Hatters will be looking to secure a spot in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup this evening as they welcome Premier League side Leicester City to Kenilworth Road.
Having defeated Ipswich Town and Cardiff City to reach this stage of the competition, the Hatters have put in good performances – defeating the Tractor Boys 3-1 at home before again scoring three, this time without reply as they beat the Bluebirds on their own turf.
Graeme Jones will be without Danny Hylton, Martin Cranie and Glen Rea – all out with knee injuries – whilst Brendan Galloway will be a late call.
Leicester defeated Newcastle United on penalties in the last round, having reached the quarter-finals of the competition consecutively for the last two years.
Tonight’s game could see a return to Kenilworth Road for former defender James Justin, who joined the Foxes in the summer, having made over 100 appearances in a Luton shirt.
iFollow Hatters will not be showing the game live, due to it being a Carabao Cup match, but full match commentary with Simon Pitts will be available.
Here to help volunteers will be handing out milk cartons to Junior Hatters ahead of kick-off to mark World School Milk Day – you can read more information on that by clicking here.
GRAEME JONES SAID:
Please be aware – these quotes are taken from Graeme’s press conference on Thursday
On facing Hull, Leicester and Blackburn in the space of a week: "It’s a great seven days – I think that’s a wonderful seven days, that’s what everyone adheres to isn’t it? Everyone wants to, certainly Luton Town supporters and Luton Town as a club and myself wanted to compete in the Championship and this is the reality. You have got to dust yourself down and I have said many months ago that you have got to react and that’s the league we are in. Then we have got Leicester City coming who are third in the Premier League! I watched their game against Spurs, so we better be ready, that’s for sure. But in football, anything can happen, that’s the beauty of the game, so we will have to wait and see."
On the squad he expects Brendan Rodgers to bring: "I think Maddison limped off at the weekend, so I wouldn’t expect him to play. But you have to prepare for worst case scenario, you have to, these are an outstanding team in England, outstanding. I have worked with some of them, so I know Harvey Barnes’ capabilities, I know Youri Tielemans’ capabilities, I am aware of what James Justin can do, he was regarded as possibly our best player here – he hasn’t played for Leicester yet, so it gives you an idea of the level. But it’s good to challenge ourselves, as I have said, in football you never know."
On coming up against Brendan Rodgers: "Mine and Brendan’s paths have crossed over the years. I can think of him taking over at Swansea a couple of years after me and Roberto left – I got offered the Swansea job when he took the Liverpool job. Then we played five Merseyside derbies against each other, which are really intense affairs. And you have to admire him, his work and I love his style of play because he wants to score goals and he wants a pressing game. He has put together a young, dynamic, athletic, exciting team at Leicester. You’d never forget the job he has done at Celtic, I have played in the Scottish Premier League and I know how intense it is up there and he left in January or February this year – they definitely had the League Cup in the bag. So he had won seven trophies in two-and-a-half years, Neil Lennon obviously went on to win the title and the Scottish Cup. Brendan was the architect of that, it’s quite a staggering record at any level of football what he achieved at Celtic."
WHO?
Premier League winners in 2016, the Foxes’ fortunes in the build-up to that famous title win had been mixed, narrowly avoiding relegation from the top tier the year before. Now very much an established Premier League side aiming for a place in the top six, Brendan Rogers was brought in from Celtic late on last season and has implemented the passing style of football we have become accustomed to seeing being played under the Northern Irishman.
WHEN AND WHERE?
Kick-off is 7.45pm at Kenilworth Road on Tuesday 24th September.
MAN IN THE MIDDLE
Tonight’s game will be overseen by Matthew Donohue, who has taken charge of eight games so far this campaign, showing 35 yellow cards and no red cards.
TICKET INFORMATION
The Ticket Office would like to advise supporters that tickets for tonight’s game are still on sale.
These are available online to supporters who have a previous purchasing history on the club database.
Tickets will also be on sale from the Ticket Office in person or via phone until kick-off, subject to availability.
It is unlikely cash turnstiles will be available tonight, therefore, it is advisable to book in advance and collect on the night from the collection point.
Due to the number of collections, only tickets for tonight’s game and Blackburn Rovers on Saturday will be available to be collected from 7pm.
AWAY SUPPORTERS
If you’re a Leicester City supporter making your way to Kenilworth Road tonight, make sure you have a read of our away supporters guide to get the most out of your trip to Luton, which you can access by clicking here.
PLAYED BEFORE?
In total we have faced Leicester 63 times, of which we have won 19, drawn 21 and lost 23. We more recently met in a pre-season friendly prior to the beginning of the 2017-18 campaign, in which Riyad Mahrez scored the only goal of the game.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
The main blow-by-blow action account of the action from Kenilworth Road will be provided via the Match Centre on the club website, which you can access by clicking here.
The main moments from the game will appear on the Hatters’ social media feeds:
Twitter – @LutonTown
Facebook – www.facebook.com/LutonTown/
Instagram – www.instagram.com/ltfc_official/