Match Previews

Match Preview | Chelsea vs Luton Town

The Hatters head to West London on Friday night for the first of seven matches in the capital this season as we visit Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea, live on Sky Sports in the UK.

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Mauricio Pochettino’s Blues failed to win either of their first two Premier League games, as Rob Edwards’ side have had a 13-day break since their three-goal defeat to leaders Brighton & Hove Albion.

This will be the third meeting between the Blues and the Hatters in the last four seasons, as Chelsea were victorious in both FA Cup ties in 2021 and 2022.

The opposition

Life under Pochettino has not begun as planned for Chelsea, with a positive draw against Liverpool followed by a disappointing loss at West Ham last weekend.

The Blues have spent nearly one billion pounds since Todd Boehly took the reins of the club last summer, including the recent signing of Moisés Caicedo which broke the British transfer fee record.

Chelsea have underperformed since the departure of Thomas Tuchel last season. However, there have been positive signs shown under Pochettino despite their winless start.

New signing Nicolas Jackson has been the standout of the new signings, leading the line in the first two games during the absence of another new Chelsea forward, Christopher Nkunku.

Words from Rob

"Really looking forward to it," said Edwards. "It's what we've all worked hard for. We as a football club have been out of the top-flight for a long time, everyone's been dying for this so let's go and enjoy it.

"But the best way to enjoy is by putting on a good performance and competing well; you can never guarantee a result, we're going there to try and win and we'll go there absolutely trying to do that.

"I've got huge respect for what Mauricio has done in his career so far and he's proved to be one of the best in the world. It's great, and i'll say this all the time."

Watch The Preview with Rob Edwards ahead of our trip to Stamford Bridge...

Last meeting

Luton Town gave a positive display when European champions Chelsea visited Kenilworth Road in the Emirates FA Cup in March 2022.

The Hatters took the lead inside two minutes with Reece Burke’s header and regained the one-goal advantage before half-time as Harry Cornick fired past Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Tuchel’s Chelsea showed their class in the second half as goals from Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku sent the Blues into the sixth round of the FA Cup.

Last time out

Town’s Premier League debut did not go as planned for Rob Edwards’ side as the Hatters fell to a 4-1 defeat at Brighton.

Last season’s top scorer Carlton Morris made history by being the first player in Luton Town history to score in the Premier League, getting off the mark from the penalty spot.

Team news

Former Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley has been training with the club since he signed for us over two weeks ago and is now available for selection after not featuring in the squad that lost at Brighton & Hove Albion.

New signing Tim Krul is also available for selection at Stamford Bridge, while defender Reece Burke has returned to training this week.

Gabe Osho is still ruled out ahead of this fixture, while Dan Potts and Jordan Clark are long-term absentees.

Fan information

The Ticket Office can confirm that tickets for this fixture are now sold out and no further tickets will be available.

Chelsea have provided an away supporter guide for Stamford Bridge.

Reminder to Luton Town fans about our zero-tolerance policy for discriminatory chanting.

Officials

The referee for our fixture against Chelsea will be 36-year-old Robert Jones.

Jones has taken charge of four games so far this season, two of which were in the Premier League and two in the Europa Conference League.

The last fixture Jones was in the middle for was at the Etihad Stadium as treble winners Manchester City took the points against Newcastle United last weekend.

Luton Town last had a game ran by Jones in May 2022 when the Hatters hosted Huddersfield Town in the first leg of the Championship play-offs.

Referee: Robert Jones

Assistant Referees: Stuart Burt & Wade Smith

Fourth Official: Peter Bankes

VAR: Paul Tierney

AVAR: Gary Beswick

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