West Ham vs Luton Town: Preview, Prediction & Betting Tips

West Ham host Luton Town looking to get back into form, whilst the visitors are desperately searching for three points in their fight for Premier League survival.

Date: 11/05/24

Kick-off time: 15:00

Venue: London Stadium

This is an important game at both ends of the table, though West Ham’s hopes of another season of European football have grown even more unlikely after their 5-0 thrashing at Chelsea. They are now ninth with 49 points, five behind both Chelsea and Man United, though they have both played less games. With two games remaining, they will have to win both and hope multiple results go their way. There’s still a chance they finish in the bottom half, so they will need to win to maintain their position.

Luton’s Premier League status is hanging by a thread after their 1-1 draw against Everton last week. It ensured they remained 18th, and they are now three points off safety with a much inferior goal difference to Nottingham Forest. Therefore, they have no choice but to win their last two games if they are to have any chances of survival. Anything but three points will likely condemn them to an immediate return to the Championship.

The Hatters should be confident in getting on the scoresheet, considering the hosts’ recent defensive displays. In their last four league games, West Ham have conceded 14 goals, including five each at Chelsea and Crystal Palace. Luton have been boosted by the return of joint top scorer Elijah Adebayo, who scored his 10th goal of the season in his first game back last time out. Carlton Morris is also another threat up top. David Moyes’ men have not been as potent as they were earlier in the season, but still have a number of players the opposing defence will need to contain. Jarrod Bowen has enjoyed an excellent campaign with 16 goals and six assists, whilst Mohammed Kudus has contributed seven goals.

These two sides have met just once this century, which was the reverse fixture earlier this season. The last meeting prior to this came all the way back in 1994 in the FA Cup, which was won by Luton. The fixture last September in the Premier League at Kenilworth Road ended with three points for West Ham after a narrow 2-1 win. Bowen opened the scoring in the first half, before Kurt Zouma added another late on. Mads Andersen pulled one back in stoppage time.

West Ham

Nayef Aguerd may make a return from a lengthy ankle injury, meaning David Moyes could have a fully fit squad available to him this weekend.

Luton

Issa Kabore and Marvelous Nakamba are ruled out for the remainder of the season, whilst Chiedozie Ogbene has an outside chance of returning for one game. Mads Andersen is further ahead in his recovery and is slated for a potential return this weekend.

West Ham

In their last five games, West Ham have lost three and drawn two. It has been a rough stretch for the Hammers, in which they crashed out of the Europa League. This run began with a 2-0 home loss against an inconsistent Fulham side. There were plenty of opportunities for both sides, but a goal in either half from Andreas Pereira secured the three points for the Cottagers.

Focus shifted to European action, in which they took on undefeated Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen. The Germans took a 2-0 first leg advantage, though the second leg was a closer affair. West Ham held a 1-0 lead for most of the game, the strike coming from Michail Antonio. They were unable to find a second goal to take it to extra-time, but their hopes were officially ended when Jeremie Frimpong scored in the 89th minute to make it 1-1.

Attention returned to Premier League football, but they were crushed 5-2 at London rivals Crystal Palace. The Eagles were 4-0 up after half an hour, before Antonio pulled one back prior to half-time. However, they could not reduce the deficit any further. They responded with a 2-2 draw at home to Liverpool in an exciting game. Jarrod Bowen had given them the lead on the stroke of half-time, but Andrew Robertson equalised almost immediately after the restart. Alphonse Areola diverted the ball into his own net to give the visitors a lead, though Antonio scored another to ensure the points were shared. Their most recent game was a trip to Chelsea in which they lost 5-0. They hit the crossbar multiple times, but could not keep their opponents out at the other end with Cole Palmer, Conor Gallagher, Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson (x2) all on the scoresheet.

Luton

In their last five games, Luton have won one, drawn one and lost three. It has been a tough stretch for the Hatters as their chances of survival have taken a big blow. Their most recent game was a home fixture against Everton, who recently secured their own safety. The match ended 1-1, though the visitors took the lead through Dominic Calvert-Lewin from the penalty spot. Elijah Adebayo equalised just past the half hour mark which ensured the points were shared.

This followed a 2-1 loss away at Wolves. The hosts took the lead thanks to a Hwang Hee-Chan strike before the break, and this advantage was doubled shortly after the restart. Carlton Morris pulled one back with 10 minutes to go, but Luton were unable to make the comeback. A damaging 5-1 defeat to Brentford preceded this, as they were crushed at home. The Bees were 2-0 up at the break, before Ethan Pinnock, Keane Lewis-Potter and Kevin Schade added to the scoreline. Luke Berry struck in stoppage time with what was nothing more than a consolation. This was the second 5-1 scoreline in a row as they were condemned to the same fate by Man City a week prior. Daiki Hashioka converted into his own net to open the scoring, before Mateo Kovacic scored with a fine half-volley. Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Josko Gvardiol completed the scoring whilst Ross Barkley netted late for the visitors.

The first game of this run was their only win, a 2-1 victory against Bournemouth. They had gone behind after Marcus Tavernier netted in the 52nd minute, but the hosts were able to turn it around with goals from Jordan Clark and Morris, which came at the death.

This is a must win for Luton in their hopes of survival, but West Ham are also in need of three points as they try to regain form. The Hatters will offer a good fight, but the quality of the hosts should be too much to overcome – West Ham 2-1 Luton

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West Ham vs Luton will not be available to watch on TV in the UK.

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