Luton Town vs Sunderland: How to watch, team news, recent form and referee

All you need to know ahead of the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Semi-Final 2nd leg against Luton Town.

Author:
Will Jeffries
Publish date:
May 15, 2023 10:58 PM EDT

Sunderland make the journey down to North London on Tuesday night to face Luton Town holding a 2-1 lead over the Hatters.

The Wearsiders have sold their ticket allocation for the away leg against Luton Town on Tuesday night with over 1,000 supporters making the journey.

Here is all you need to know about what promises to be an enormous night in Sunderland's season.

How to Watch

When: Tuesday 16th May 2023, with Kick-Off at: 20:00pm
Where: Kenilworth Road
TV: Sky Sports Football or Sky Sports Main Event
Radio: BBC Radio Newcastle

Team News

Luton Town boss Rob Edwards has no fresh injury concerns ahead of Tuesday's showdown.

Tony Mowbray revealed in his press conference that Alex Pritchard and Patrick Roberts picked up minor injuries on Saturday and are touch and go if they make the second leg.

Mowbray also confirmed the possibility of Aji Alese eing amongst the substitutes after taking part in training.

Last Meeting

The two teams played each other at the Stadium of Light on Saturday 13th May 2023, with the Black Cats prevailing 2-1 winners with goals from Amad Diallo and Trai Hume.

Sunderland team: Patterson, Gooch, Hume, O'Nien, Pritchard, Neil, Ekwah, Roberts, Amad, Clarke, Gelhardt

Recent Form

Luton Town: DWDDL
Sunderland: DWDWW

Head-to-head (last 10 matches)

Luton Town wins: 1
Draws: 4
Sunderland wins: 5

Who is the Referee for Luton Town vs Sunderland?

Simon Hooper will take charge of this match and has refereed 28 matches over the last 12 months and issuing 95 yellow cards.

He will be assisted by Adrian Holmes and Mark Scholes, with Andrew Madley acting as the fourth official.

What the Managers have said

Rob Edwards has called upon his players to use the Kenilworth Road atmosphere to inspire a comeback in the second leg.

Edwards said: "We have got to be calm because we need 11 players on the pitch, but we need fire and then to be ice cold in the right moments.

"We need to play with real fire and like our lives depend on it tomorrow. We don’t want this to be the end but this could be our last game of the season and we don’t want that to be the case.

“We want the crowd to be wild and right at it. We’ve got to make it really difficult for them and we need our crowd to play their part in that as well. And we want to make sure we play our part and give our fans something to shout about.

“The atmosphere was amazing for the Watford game and if we can notch it up a little bit more again then that will be what I will like and what we will need as well. I think that was a great advert for Kenilworth Road for when it’s at its best.”

Tony Mowbray knows Tuesday night will be very tough, but is urging his team to stay calm as he believes his side can progress if they stick to their game plan.

Mowbray said: "I think the team are good and in good spirits. We believe we can compete against anybody in the league.

"I think this game against a team that finished 11 points ahead of us, third in the league, they have been growing their club for the past three or four years.

"They have an experienced group of players and are very together. I think we did amazing to come out on top in the first game.

"I'm not anticipating too much different the second game. It's a tighter environment of course. They might double down on what they do and how they play.

"We have to do the same really. We don't have plan B really, putting a quick guy up top and turning them round and playing in behind.

"What gives us a lot of confidence is that we generally have scored a lot of goals this season without a centre-forward.

"I think the team feel they are going to score. We'll be going to try and win the football match and be positive."

Sunderland predicted line-up vs Luton

All though Tony Mowbray has described them as 'touch and go,' it's hard to see either Patrick Roberts or Alex Pritchard sitting out this one.

With that in mind and none of the injured players ready to return, except Aji Alese who might make the bench, Sunderland are likely to be unchanged from the first leg.

Sunderland predicted line-up (3-4-3): Patterson; Hume, O'Nien, Gooch; Roberts, Neil, Ekwah, Clarke; Amad, Gelhardt, Pritchard