Chelsea will be targeting a first victory of the 2023/24 Premier League season when they host newly promoted Luton Town at Stamford Bridge on Friday evening.
Despite playing well, the Blues are still winless this season having drawn against Liverpool and lost to West Ham in their opening two games.
They currently sit 15th on the log and head into Friday’s game already five points below the last season’s top two sides (Manchester City and Arsenal).
They face a Luton side that has played just a single game this season, which was their opener at Brighton and Hove Albion which they lost 4-1.
They rested last weekend after they requested their game against Burnley to be postponed because of the condition of the Hatters’ stadium.
Kenilworth Road is undergoing extensive improvement works in order to bring it up to code for the Premier League in terms of broadcaster and media requirements. The redevelopment has not yet finished.
If Chelsea fails to beat Luton, this will be the first time that they have failed to win their opening three Premier League games since the 1998-99 season.
For Luton, they are seeking to claim their first-ever Premier League points as this is the first time they are playing in the English top tier league.
Team News
Chelsea have a couple of players out for this game including Mykhailo Murdyk, who got injured in training this week.
Carney Chukwuemeka, who was forced off at half time with a knee injury in Sunday’s defeat to West Ham is also out and now facing up to six weeks on the sidelines after undergoing surgery.
Furthermore, Wesley Fofana, Christopher Nkunku (both knee), Reece James (hamstring) and Trevoh Chalobah (thigh) are also ruled out.
This game also comes early for Benoit Badiashile and Armando Broja, who have just returned to training following respective hamstring and knee injuries.
Meanwhile, Romeo Lavia isn’t ready for this game despite having been captured last week. According to Mauricio Pochettino, the midfielder is not quite ready and need a few weeks before he is involved .
As for Luton, Edwards revealed before the defeat at Brighton that Reece Burke (knock), Gabriel Osho (knee), Jordan Clark and Dan Potts (both ankle) are all ruled out for “a few weeks”, and it seems unlikely that any of the quartet will feature on Friday.
Edwards is unlikely to make too many changes, if any, to the starting lineup that faced the Seagulls.
Former Chelsea man Ross Barkley could be in contention to make his Luton debut.
Key Stats
Chelsea have gone eight top-flight home games without a win. The last time they tasted victory on home turf was way back on March 4, when Leeds United were beaten by a goal to nil.
Just twice in 2023 have Chelsea triumphed in front of their own fans in the Premier League. For context that is the same number of home wins as Leeds and fewer than Leicester City, both of whom were relegated last term.
These two clubs have never met in the Premier League before, with the last league meeting between Chelsea and Luton Town coming back in December 1991 in the old Division One. Luton enjoyed a 2-0 win at Kenilworth Road on that occasion.
The last league meeting between Luton and Chelsea at Stamford Bridge came in August 1991, the Blues won that game 4-1.
Chelsea and Luton have met three times in the FA Cup since then, with the London side winning all three encounters. They defeated Luton 2-0 at Wembley in the 1993-94 FA Cup semi-final, before a 3-1 win at Stamford Bridge in January 2021 and a 3-2 win away in Luton in March 2022.
Luton last defeated Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on 6 September 1986 (3-1).
The only player in either Luton or Chelsea’s Premier League squad that was alive when this occurred was Thiago Silva (he was two years old at the time).
What was said by the managers.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Mauricio Pochettino said he expects this game to be tough as all Premier League games.
“It’s going to be a tough game. They are strong team, who are clear in the way they play. They run fast in transition, strong in set pieces. We need to show respect, be humble, be ready to match them. Then play in the way we can play.”
Luton boss Rob Edwards said despite this fixture being tough, they looking forward to it.
“They’ve brought in a lot of top players, but they’re still a new team and building as well, so they might not be at their best and have the most rhythm right now.
“Like Brighton last week, it’s as difficult a test as you can get away from home in the Premier League, but we’re looking forward to it.”
Predicted lineups
Chelsea: Sanchez; Disasi, Silva, Colwill; Gusto, Fernandez, Caicedo, Chilwell; Gallagher, Sterling; Jackson
Luton Town: Kaminski; Andersen, Lockyer, Bell; Kabore, Mpanzu, Nakamba, Chong, Giles; Adebayo, Morris
