Luton take on the visitors Barnet in round 1 match of EFL Trophy group stage. The match will be played on Tuesday, September 2nd at Kenilworth Road (Luton).
Luton seemed to have rewritten their history just two years ago. A team that had shown glimpses of quality mostly back in the 1980s finally managed to debut in the English Premier League. However, despite some isolated successes, their campaign ended with the more-than-expected relegation. What’s worse, they went straight through the Championship, but not in the way they had hoped: instead of bouncing back to the EPL, they fell even lower. The club (which continues to push forward with building a modern stadium) is now trying to stabilize and make real progress. After a couple of early wins, they crashed out of the League Cup with a 0-1 defeat to Coventry and suffered mostly losses in the Championship. Last round, however, they secured a convincing 3-0 win over Burton. Their defense has looked shaky in recent weeks, but the attack showed promise with a much-needed clean sheet and multiple goals scored. With the home crowd behind them, Luton will be eager to string together consecutive wins for the first time this season.
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Barnet is adapting to a long-forgotten level. The Bees long remained committed to amateur football before eventually turning professional. Still, their success was limited, often balancing between the 5th and 4th tiers of English football — at one point even managed by Edgar Davids! In 2018, they dropped back to the Conference, and by 2020, due to the pandemic, the entire project nearly collapsed. Only under Dean Brennan did they manage to regroup, earn promotion, and return to League Two. Naturally, things are tough for a newly promoted side, but Barnet has already managed to grind out a couple of wins, showing they don’t want to settle for a simple relegation battle. They exited the League Cup early after a penalty shootout loss to Newport, despite drawing 2-2 in regular time. In the league, they fought back to a dramatic 1-1 draw with Colchester, equalizing deep into stoppage time. While their defense remains vulnerable, Barnet has shown resilience and the ability to fight until the very last whistle. This fighting spirit could help them steal points even in tough fixtures.
Luton has won four of the last five meetings with Barnet. However, the sides haven’t faced each other since 2018. The Hatters have collapsed hard after their peak but seem to have finally hit rock bottom and are now trying to rebound. We believe in their win, with a handicap of -1.0 goals.
Prediction for the match: Luton to win with -1.0 handicap.
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