Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has been predicted to secure his first win as Blues manager against Luton Town tonight
Chelsea will look to get their first Premier League win under Mauricio Pochettino tonight as they welcome newly-promoted Luton Town to Stamford Bridge.
It’s been a tough start to the season for the Blues despite a successful preseason, having taken just one point from a possible six after a 1-1 draw against Liverpool and a 3-1 defeat to West Ham last weekend.
Pochettino will be without nine of his best players for the clash against the Hatters including Mykhaylo Mudryk, who picked up an injury in training earlier this week.
Luton, on the other hand, have played just one game so far this season after they were forced to postpone their game against Burnley last weekend due to stadium renovations at Kenilworth Road.
Their opening game of the season saw them fall to Brighton in a brutal 4-1 loss as they were reminded of their place in the top flight early on.
With that said, both sides will be hopeful to get their seasons back on track with a win tonight, but pundits in the media have indicated there’s a clear favourite.
The former Chelsea striker believes that they’ll cruise to victory over a ‘struggling’ Luton side that won’t be any trouble for Pochettino’s Blues.
“Chelsea have one point from six but it does seem like they are getting a bit of harmony at the club with Mauricio Pochettino in charge and Raheem Sterling looks like he is playing with freedom again and a smile on his face,” he wrote for BBC Sport.
“It was just an unhappy club last season with the scattergun approach. With regards Luton, they will really struggle. It could be a long, long season. I don’t think they will score against Chelsea.
“Luton tried to play a bit against Brighton, when they lost 4-1, but they have to carry a threat, they can’t just try and defend. Chelsea will have a bit too much for them and Pochettino will get a win.”
Sutton’s prediction: Chelsea 3-0 Luton.
Paul Merson
Writing for Sportskeeda, Merson highlighted Luton potentially struggling away from Kenilworth Road and why that could make all the difference ahead of tonight’s clash.
“I think this is a nice game for Chelsea,” he said. “They’ve played out one draw and one loss, and I think this is the perfect opportunity for them to get back on track. It will be a tight game at the start, but once Chelsea score the first goal they’ll run away with it. It will be similar to Brighton’s game against Luton – every time Brighton broke away, it looked like they would score.
“Chelsea don’t quite have the guile at the moment. We saw Mudryk come on against West Ham and he struggled a bit. When the game was open in the first half, Chelsea were outstanding. When West Ham went down to the men and had to sit back and defend, Pochettino’s men struggled to break them down.
“Moises Caicedo is at Chelsea now, and everything he does will be highlighted – that’s what happens when you play for big teams. When you play for Brighton and you give away a penalty, nothing is said. Look at poor Mudryk – every single thing he does is analysed. Caicedo will have to get used to that as well.
“Luton Town will be a threat at home, but it will get difficult for them to play against Premier League opponents away from home. They’re going to put men behind the ball, get the ball forward, and hope for a goal from a set-piece. I don’t think it’ll be a particularly enjoyable game to watch, but if Chelsea lost this game, the alarm bells would go odd.
“Chelsea had better players and a better team than West Ham, and look what happened at the end. Luton Town can cause problems, but I do expect Chelsea to win this game.
Merson’s prediction: Chelsea 3-0 Luton.
Leave a Reply