Rob Edwards could welcome back five Luton Town players for Sunday’s Premier League game against Manchester City.
The Hatters ran Arsenal close in midweek and took a point off Liverpool last month, so an out-of-form City should expect a tough encounter in their first trip to Kenilworth Road since 1998.
Ahead of the game, Luton boss said captain Tom Lockyer could be available again, after he missed the 4-3 loss to Arsenal with a knock. Midfielders Marvelous Nakamba and Sambi Lokonga have also trained this week, although Edwards said he is wary of immediately putting the latter back in after such a long stint on the sidelines.
In addition, the Luton boss described Reece Burke as ‘very, very close’ and said Mads Andersen is ‘progressing well and is very close to full training’.
Meanwhile, Issa Kabore is suspended against his parent club, Dan Potts and Cauley Woodrow are long-term absentees, and Chiedozie Ogbene is still being monitored with an ongoing injury. “He’s still not quite right,” said Edwards. “We’re monitoring that. We want him to get him out there and get the best out of him. He’s feeling one or two bits, but he’s a warrior and will really, really try to go through it for us.”
As for City, Jeremy Doku is a doubt. The winger missed the midweek trip to Aston Villa with a knock he sustained in the recent 3-3 draw against Tottenham Hotspur and Pep Guardiola wasn’t asked in his pre-match press conference if the ex-Rennes man will be back for the trip to Luton.
Guardiola did confirm that Kevin De Bruyne is back running on the grass but remains some way off playing in the first team. The 32-year-old is City’s only confirmed injury for this weekend.
Doubts: Lockyer, Burke, Nakamba, Lokonga, Ogbene (Luton); Doku (City). Ruled out: Kabore, Potts, Woodrow (Luton); De Bruyne (City).
