Manchester City vs Luton Town Prediction, It's Haram to Lose Points at Home

Jakarta, Beritasatu.com – Manchester City will host Luton Town at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday (13/4/2024) at 21.00 WIB. The additional three points maintain their hopes of competing in the race to win the 2023/2024 Premier League, which now has seven league matches remaining.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola emphasized his team not to lose points at crucial moments in the race for the Premier League this season. A slip-up, especially at home, could ruin City's hopes of retaining the Premier League title for four consecutive seasons.

“The match against Luton is our focus. “The Premier League is entering a crucial phase and we have to make sure we are ready,” said Guardiola in a press conference ahead of the match, Friday (12/4/2024).

“We have worked hard for 11 months to win the title, so keeping our points is crucial,” he added.

With 70 points from 31 matches, City is in third place, only one point behind Liverpool in second and Arsenal at the top with 71 points. If they manage to beat Luton, City has the potential to lead the standings, after Arsenal and Liverpool only play on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Luton Town is in 18th place and still needs points to maintain their hopes of escaping the relegation zone. The team nicknamed The Hatters managed to end a series of matches without a win by beating Bournemouth last weekend.

From the line-up, The Citizen will appear without Kyle Walker due to a thigh injury and Nathan Ake who has a calf injury. They will likely play with a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Ederson Moraes in goal.

Manuel Akanji and Josko Gvardiol will play as wing-backs, helping in defense and attack, guarding Ruben Dias and John Stones who play in the heart of defense.

Rodri and Mateo Kovacic will be the double pivot in midfield, with a focus on maintaining the rim of the game. Kevin De Bruyne will play as a central attacking midfielder, relying on his creativity, passing and vision.

De Bruyne (32), who suffered an injury earlier this season, hopes to perform well in the remainder of the season. The Belgian midfielder showed a good performance against Crystal Palace despite being absent against Real Madrid in the middle of last week.

Bernardo Silva and Jeremy Doku will play on the wings to add creativity. Meanwhile, Erling Haaland will lead Manchester City's front line.

Meanwhile, in the Luton camp, manager Rob Edwards again relied on a 3-4-2-1 formation with Thomas Kaminski in goal. Reece Burke, Teden Mengi, and Daiki Hashioka play the back line trio. Fred Onyedinma and Alfie Doughty will be the wing-backs.

Jordan Clark will provide defensive cover in midfield, while Ross Barkley looks to create opportunities from midfield. Tahith Chong and Andros Townsend will start as attacking midfielders. Meanwhile, Carlton Morris spearheaded the visitors.

Manchester City are unbeaten in their last 16 matches in the Premier League. From the meeting record between the two teams, City have scored eight goals in their last two matches against Luton Town.

Meanwhile, Luton Town are winless in five of their last six league matches.
Luton Town have also conceded 11 goals in their last six matches.

The visiting team may have the spirit and ambition to achieve victory at City headquarters, but it will certainly not be easy. What's more, City is also struggling to defend the title. Manchester City, which is in brilliant form and unbeaten, is the favorite to win this match.

Formation forecast:
Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Akanji, Dias, Stones, Gvardiol; Rodri, Kovacic; Doku, De Bruyne, Silva; Haaland.

Luton Town (3-4-2-1): Kaminski; Hashioka, Mengi, Burke; Onyedinma, Barkley, Clark, Doughty; Townsend, Chong; Morris.