Jamu Luton Town, Manchester City Haram Loses Points At Home

Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden (center) controlled the ball in the Community Shield Cup match against Liverpool (ANTARA).

JAKARTA - Manchester City will host Luton Town at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, April 13 at 21.00 WIB. An additional three points keep their hopes of competing in the fight for the 2023/2024 Premier League champions, which now leaves seven league games.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola stressed his team not to lose points in the crucial moments of the Premier League race this season. Slipping, especially at home, could free City's hopes of defending the Premier League title for four consecutive seasons.

The match against Luton is our focus. The Premier League is entering a crucial phase and we have to make sure we are ready," Guardiola said in a press conference ahead of the match.

"We have worked hard for 11 months to win the title, so keeping our points is crucial," he added.

With 70 points from 31 games, City are in third place, only one point adrift of Liverpool in second place and Arsenal at the top with 71 points. If they beat Luton, City have the potential to lead the standings, after Arsenal and Liverpool will only compete on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Luton Town is still in 18th place and still needs points to keep hopes of qualifying from the relegation zone. The team nicknamed The Haters managed to end the streak of unwinned matches by beating Bournemouth last weekend.

From the line-up, The Citizen will perform without Kyle Walker due to a thigh injury and Nathan Ake who has a calf injury. They will likely play in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Ederson Moraes under the crossbar.

Manuel Akanji and Josko Gvardiol will play full-backs, helping defense and attack, escorting Ruben Dias and John Stones who play at the heart of defense.

Rodri and Mateo Kovacic will become double pivots in midfield, focusing on maintaining the game's rhythm. Kevin De Bruyne will play central attacking midfielder, relying on his creativity, feedback and vision.

De Bruyne, 32, who suffered an injury earlier this season, hopes to perform well in the remainder of the season. The Belgian midfielder showed a good performance against Crystal Palace despite being absent against Real Madrid in the middle of last week.

Bernardo Silva and Jeremy Doku will play in the wing area to add creativity. Meanwhile, Erling Haaland will lead the line ahead of Manchester City.

Meanwhile, in the Luton camp, manager Rob Edwards again relied on a 3-4-2-1 formation with Thomas Kaminski under the bar. Reece Burke, Teden Mengi, and Daiki Hashikoka are playing back-line trio. Fred Onyedinma andctional Doughty will be full-backs.

Jordan Clark will provide defense protection in midfield, while Ross Barkley is trying to create chances from midfield. Tahith Chong and Andros Townsend will start as attacking midfielders. Meanwhile Carlton Morris became the spearhead of the visitors.

Manchester City are unbeaten in their last 16 Premier League games. From the team's meeting record, City have scored eight goals in their last two games against Luton Town.

Meanwhile, Luton Town has not won in five of their last six league games. Luton Town also conceded 11 goals in their last six games.

The visitors may have the passion and ambition to win at City's headquarters, but that's certainly not an easy thing. What's more, City is also struggling to defend the title. Manchester City, which is in a brilliant and unbeaten performance, is the winner's favorite in this match.