I thoroughly enjoy this time of year, the midweek Premier League Express on Christmas Eve, when everyone else is expecting a visit from the red and white Santa Claus, and for Luton the red and white old man they are welcoming is Arsenal, who are currently top of the Premier League table.
Luton are currently in the relegation zone, and their 1 win and 1 draw in their last 5 matches have relied on the home advantage I've talked about before to give them hope on the road to relegation.
Like all teams fighting for relegation, you have to make your home ground a place where you can score points, and Luton did just that in beating Crystal Palace and playing Liverpool. As for the other home games where they lost, they actually deserved more, but will have to be at their best on Tuesday night against the table-toppers.
There is no need for Luton to change their style of play, and they are starting to reap the rewards of sticking with it. Sometimes a manager needs to be more patient, after all, it takes time to adapt to a completely different culture shock after being promoted from the Championship to the Premier League, and I believe that all the promoted teams in the Premier League this season have learned this the hard way.
Lockyer's withdrawal at the weekend due to injury will be a blow to Luton as they will be without their captain and leader for the next few weeks. Arsenal are in a very different position, having gone five games unbeaten in all competitions since losing to Newcastle.
Bucayosaca, after a small slump due to injuries, has recently regained his hot form and has been in excellent form in three of his last five matches and is likely to play a key role in this match.
However, apart from Bucayosaka, Arsenal's lineup of Lee Ando Duchate, Gabriele Martinelli, Xaviers, Gabriele Jetsis, and Martin Ordigart is full of attacking firepower that I believe Luton will find difficult to counter. I said something similar when Liverpool visited Luton a few weeks ago, but I believe this Arsenal team is different. They're a slick, well-oiled machine that can create a constant threat from all angles in all areas of the front line for 90 minutes.
With so many good men in attack, DeGranlais has also been a huge contributor for the Arsenal over the last few weeks. His endless stamina and ability to cover the pitch when all the attacking players are pressed into the front half of the pitch is amazing, and his energy and leadership will be key to the Arsenal's fast-paced fixtures in the coming weeks, as he is able to put a host of creative players up front at ease in the attack.
