This weekend the English Championship returns to action for a new campaign. One of the more intriguing games of gameweek one takes place at Kenilworth Road on Saturday afternoon, as Luton Town hosts Birmingham City.
The Hatters finished sixth place in the Championship table last season, which saw them qualify for the end-of-season play-offs. However, Nathan Jones's team suffered semi-final heartbreak as they suffered a 2-1 aggregate defeat against Huddersfield Town.
Counting down the hours... ⏰#EFLSeasonLaunch | #COYH pic.twitter.com/wEe7EodorS— Luton Town FC (@LutonTown) July 27, 2022
Counting down the hours... ⏰#EFLSeasonLaunch | #COYH pic.twitter.com/wEe7EodorS
In truth, Luton’s form towards the end of the campaign, including the play-offs, was inconsistent, as they won just one of their last five games in the English second tier. Their most recent matches in the league were tight, low-scoring encounters, as six of their previous seven league games produced under 2.5 goals.
Although the Hatters home form towards the end of the season was slightly inconsistent, they were tough to beat at Kenilworth Road, losing just one of their last 14 home matches in the second tier.
While the home side was striving for promotion, Birmingham finished the campaign just glad to still be in the second tier. In the end, the team from the Midlands finished ten points clear of the relegation zone. However, a run of just one win in their last ten league games did little to dispel the threat of dropping into League One.
A poor defensive record played a crucial role in their poor results towards the end of the Championship campaign, as they conceded at least two goals in five of their last six matches of the league season.
City were also poor on their travels, as their record of just one win in the last 15 away matches in the Championship illustrates.
Forebet predicts that Luton will record a narrow victory in a high-scoring game to kick off the campaign in a positive manner.