Luton Town vs Bradford City - prediction, team news, lineups

Looking for a third straight victory with the chance to move to the top of the League One table, Bradford City will head to Kenilworth Road to take on Luton Town on Saturday.

The visitors currently sit third with 12 points on the board from six outings, while their visitors find themselves 12th after an away defeat last Thursday.

Luton Town return to Kenilworth Road on Saturday with the aim of bouncing back to winning ways in League One after a mixed start to their season.

After finishing just a point short of the playoffs last term as one of the division's form teams, they came into their second season in the third tier and a first full campaign under Jack Wilshere with the hopes of kicking on and challenging for automatic promotion.

The Hatters currently sit 12th on eight points, having won two, drawn two and lost two of their first six outings, with only two teams topping their 12 goals and just two conceding more than the 13 they have allowed.

Wilshere's men kicked off September with a 2-0 win over fellow promotion-chasers Stockport County, but they have failed to build on that since, going on to draw with Leyton Orient before losing 2-1 in a trip to Stevenage last Thursday, with Mads Andersen's 75th-minute goal not enough to spark a turnaround after Dan Kemp and Josh Magennis had the hosts 2-0 up.

Yet to find their groove after a strong end to last season, Luton Town will hope to kickstart their campaign with an upturn in form in the coming weeks, starting with what would be a second home league win of the campaign at the weekend.

They face a tough test, though, with the visitors arriving on the back of three straight wins including two in League One.

Also seeking to build on their first term back in League One last time around and challenge for promotion again, having reached the playoffs after League Two promotion and fallen short, Bradford City have enjoyed a pleasing start to 2026-27.

In their six league outings, the Bantams have managed four victories alongside two defeats, with no side allowing as few as the four goals they have conceded.

Their defeats came consecutively, but Graham Alexander's men have since bounced back, beating Mansfield Town 1-0 in the league and Leyton Orient 3-1 away in the EFL Cup, before visiting Notts County at the weekend and leaving with all three points as George Pratt scored the only goal soon after half time.

Now with confidence back in the camp, having picked up where they left off in an impressive return to League One under Alexander last year, Bradford City trail league leaders Sheffield Wednesday by a single point and can climb to the summit with a victory if other results go their way.

Luton Town are set to remain without Shayden Morris, Jordan Clark, Benedict Benagr and Shandon Baptiste due to ongoing injuries, while Harrison Ashby is a fresh concern having also been ruled out of last week's trip to Stevenage after being injured against Leyton Orient.

Jack Wilshere may opt to make changes from that defeat last time out, with Kasey Palmer and Jake Richards both hoping to come into a supporting trio behind a lone striker, with Nahki Wells, who has managed four league goals so far this term, competing to displace Callum Marshall up front.

George Johnston has been a mainstay at the back alongside Mads Andersen since his summer arrival, while Dan Gore should again join key man Liam Walsh in midfield.

Bradford City head to Kenilworth Road with a relatively clean bill of health, other than injured forward Tyreik Wright.

Alexander should avoid making many changes from last week's win over Notts County, however there is strength in depth within the Bantams ranks with Nick Powell and Kieran Morgan competing for midfield spots and Stephen Humphrys and Kayden Jackson hoping to come into the attack.

They may stick with an unaltered front three, though, with Jake Beesley supported by Bobby Pointon and Antoni Sarcevic, while Matthew Pennington, Aden Baldwin and last week's goal scorer George Pratt will continue in a back three despite competition from Macaulay Gillesphey.

Keeley; Odoffin, Andersen, Johnston, Johnson; Walsh, Gore; Kodua, Palmer, Donley; Wells

McCracken; Pennington, Baldwin, Pratt; Neufville, Phillips, Connolly, Touray; Sarcevic, Beesley, Pointon

Bradford City have certainly enjoyed the stronger start and come into the contest with more momentum than their hosts, but Luton Town do boast far more quality than their inconsistent form suggests, and we see Wilshere's side making it tough enough for the Bantams to share the points at Kenilworth Road.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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