Derby vs Luton: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

One of the season's biggest games in the battle to survive relegation in the Championship takes place on Friday, with both sides separated by two league places. Derby County’s form under John Eustace gives us confidence that the Rams will secure a vital win against a Luton Town side who have shown fight in recent weeks.

Both Derby County and Luton Town are winless in their precious three matches. However, Derby County have been excellent at home under Eustace, with three wins in their previous four games at Pride Park. Away from home, Luton Town are unbeaten in their last three games; however, they had lost their last three on the road beforehand.

For this fixture, should Derby County score first, they will likely secure the victory against a Luton Town side who have not kept a clean sheet in their previous three games. Derby County have scored first in five of their last seven matches, winning four of those seven games in which they have scored first.

Both sides will be feeling the pressure of this fixture, and there could be a single goal in it, with less than 2.5 goals landing in the last five games involving Luton Town. We are leading towards a 1-0 Derby County win for this game against Luton Town.

Derby County 1-0 Luton Town

Derby County and Luton Town meet on Friday, with both sides looking for a much-needed win to bolster their survival chances.

Date: 18/04/2025
Location: Pride Park, Derby.
Kick-Off: 12.30 pm

Derby County’s decision to replace Paul Warne with former player John Eustace has proven to be a bit of a masterstroke of a managerial appointment. The Rams were able to prize John Eustace away from then-playoff-chasing Blackburn Rovers to join a struggling Derby County side. Since he arrived at the club in a managerial capacity, Eustace has managed 10 league matches, winning four, drawing twice and losing four. Eustace has managed a respectable 1.4 points per game in charge of the club, with his predecessor only managing one win in their previous seven games in all competitions.

Derby County are one point clear of the relegation zone heading into this game, with 43 points gained from 42 matches. The advantage for the Rams is that they play three of the bottom seven teams in the league as it currently stands, with fixtures against Stoke City, Hull City and Luton Town before the end of the season.

Luton Town have also had a managerial change this season, when they replaced popular manager Rob Edwards with Wycombe Wanderers' manager Matt Bloomfield. Bloomfield has endured a difficult start to life at Kenilworth Road. However, performances and results have improved, with the Hatters only losing once in their previous five games. The visitors are in 23rd place in the Championship, having collected 40 points from 42 matches played.

The game will be live on Sky Sports Football.

Derby County Team News

Curtis Nelson, Joe Ward, Ben Osborn, Kemar Roode and Ryan Nyambe are among the notable names missing for John Eustace due to injury concerns.

Luton Town Team News

Teden Mengi and Marvelous Nakamba are both unavailable due to injury concerns. Jordan Clark, Isaiah Jones and Mark McGuiness are suspension concerns heading into this game.

Luton Town are unbeaten in the last three meetings between the two teams, with the Rams failing to keep a clean sheet in those three matches. The reverse meeting between the two teams resulted in a 2-1 victory for Luton Town, thanks to late goals from Thomas Holmes and Carlton Morris.

Derby County:

Derby County are coming into this game with no wins in their previous three league games with two draws against Portsmouth (2-2) and Burnley (0-0) and a single defeat against Swansea City (1-0). The Rams had won their last four league matches prior to this, with victories against Preston (2-0), Plymouth Argyle (3-2), Coventry City (2-0) and Blackburn Rovers (2-1).

The Rams have an excellent home record under John Eustace, as they are unbeaten in their last four league games at Pride Park, having picked up 10 points from a possible 12 on offer. Derby County have kept three consecutive clean sheets on home soil.

Luton Town:

Luton Town have only lost once in their previous five matches, where they suffered a 1-0 defeat against Blackburn Rovers. The Hatters have only won once in their last five league games, though, with their only victory against Hull City (0-1). Luton Town have recorded three draws in their previous five games, with draws against Stoke City (1-1), Leeds United (1-1) and Middlesbrough.

Matt Bloomfield’s side have picked up seven points from their previous three games away from home. However, they had previously lost their last three league games away from home, with a heavy defeat against Burnley (4-0) as the main standout.

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