MY ACCOUNT
– Sunderland won Saturday’s first-leg 2-1
– Luton finished 11 points ahead of Sunderland in the final Championship standings
– Recommended Bet: Luton to win
Sunderland have one foot in the Championship play-off final but could come unstuck when they take on Luton in Tuesday’s second-leg.
The Hatters took the lead on Saturday at the Stadium of Light through Elijah Adebayo, only for the Black Cats to roar back and triumph 2-1 thanks to goals from Amad Diallo and Trai Hume.
After the disappointment of the weekend, Luton will be keen to respond in front of a vociferous Kenilworth Road crowd.
Rob Edwards’ side have lost just one of their last 10 at home and having been well clear of Tuesday’s opponents during the 46-game season, will be keen to show they are still superior.
Team news
Left-wing-back Alfie Doughty could be a doubt for Luton after limping off at the Stadium of Light, albeit with suspected cramp rather than anything more serious.
Reece Burke or Dan Potts could deputise and that would potentially lead to a reshuffle at the back which would require Amari’i Bell to move out wide from his central defensive position.
Sunderland will again be without Elliot Embleton (ankle), Danny Batth (knee), Ross Stewart (Achilles), Corry Evans (ACL), Aji Alese (thigh) and Dan Ballard (hamstring), who are all long-term absentees.
Patrick Roberts could also be out for the season with a thigh problem, adding to Tony Mowbray’s selection headaches, although Alex Pritchard is expected to recover from a knock.
The stats
Luton finished 11 points clear of Sunderland but these two were tough to split when they met in the regular season, with both fixtures finishing as 1-1 draws.
Sunderland have been in good form away from home, winning four of their last five on the road to reach the play-offs. Despite their injury woes, they are now unbeaten in 10 games in total.
However, Luton have also impressed at Kenilworth Road, losing just one of their last 10 at Kenilworth Road.
Striker Carlton Morris has netted in two of his team’s last three home games and now has 20 Championship goals for the season.
Sunderland’s top scorer is Diallo, who has 14 in total, while the Manchester United loanee has also provided three assists.
Prediction
Sunderland are arguably the form team in the play-offs and have been in this situation before, having won promotion from League One via this path last term.
Luton missed out at this stage in the 2021-22 campaign, losing to Huddersfield but the way they have evolved over the last decade suggests they are ready to go a step further.
With all three of the pair’s games this season seeing both teams score, it should be an entertaining affair.
However, Sunderland’s injury issues could finally catch up with them and the Hatters can get the victory over the 90 minutes, although it might not be enough to avoid extra time on the night.
Back Luton to win at 21/20 with LiveScore Bet.
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