Luton Town vs Chelsea: 3 things to look out for at Kenilworth Road
In the final match of 2023, Chelsea travel north to Luton with a chance to make even more inroads on Brighton and Hove Albion and Newcastle in eighth and ninth respectively.
One more, and Chelsea Football Club gets to close the chapter on what has been a miserable 2023. Coming off a vital triumph over a struggling Crystal Palace team at Stamford Bridge, Mauricio Pochettino's crew encounters Rob Edwards' in-form Luton Town.
The last time these two outfits met at "The Kenny" in league play was back in December 1991. Luton is in a similar position in the table heading into this match as it did back then. The club east of the Chiltern Hills won two in a row ahead of that Dec. 28 match 32 years ago. It's a mirror image to what Edwards' crew has done leading into this pre-New Year's fixture in 2023.
Inspired by Tom Lockyer, who recently suffered cardiac arrest, the Hatters have been flying. Two own goals in the second half up at Bramall Lane pushed the recently promoted side just one point behind Everton, the final club safe from relegation.
Poch's men arguably got away with one last time out with the kind of display that was put out in the second 45 minutes. It seems like this young team only has one half of football in it per match. Luton is by no means going to roll over. The club has made its home turf an extremely tough place to take points from. Just ask Arsenal and Manchester City. With a chance to close out 2023 with two straight league victories, here is what you need to watch out for from start to finish.