FA Cup Fifth Round: Luton Town vs Man City Odds & Preview
Hatters Host Defending Champions
Premier League Sides Meet in FA Cup
Manchester City did their part to stay in the thick of the Premier League title race on Saturday, with a 1-0 win at Bournemouth. Now, Man City head on the road to Luton Town for an FA Cup fifth round fixture on Tuesday. Luton have struggled this season but they haven’t compromised their play style, which is gutsy. This is one of the few fifth round fixtures to feature two Premier League sides and it should be an entertaining match. Ahead of the action, we’ll check out the Luton Town vs Man City odds.
Luton Town vs Manchester City
Date, time:
Location: Kenilworth Road, Luton, England
Luton Town vs Man City Head-to-Head
This is just the second meeting between Luton Town and Manchester City since 1999. The two sides met in the Premier League in October 2023, and Elijah Adebayo opened up the scoring for hosts Luton. Man City responded in the second half as Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish powered City to a 2-1 win. These teams have played five previous FA Cup fixtures against each other but haven’t met in this competition since 1969. The FA Cup series is tied 2-2, with one draw, while Man City lead the all-time series 15-11, with 12 draws.
Luton Refuse to Sit Back
Luton Town haven’t made it past the fifth round of the FA Cup since 1994, when they lost to Chelsea in the Semifinal. They’ve got to take down defending champions Manchester City to reach the Quarter-final but they’re winless vs. teams that occupy the top six spots in the Premier League this season. Still, the Hatters have managed to get some interesting results in their first-ever season in the Premier League. Just a few weeks ago, they managed to defeat Brighton 4-0 and draw 4-4 at Newcastle.
Manager Rob Edwards doesn’t sit back and put 11 men behind the ball, even though Luton Town are the less talented team in most of their matches. A couple of Sundays ago, Luton put in a bright performance against Manchester United but fell 2-1. Midweek, Chiedozie Ogbene gave the Hatters the lead vs. Liverpool but they ended up falling 4-1. Luton are one of the most intriguing remaining FA Cup teams and expect them to go for it on Tuesday vs. City.
Issa Kabore can not play against parent club Manchester City, while leading scorer Elijah Adebayo is out injured. Fan-favorite Alfie Doughty is doubtful with a knock and Tom Lockyer is also out. To get to this stage of the FA Cup, Luton drew 0-0 vs. Bolton but defeated them 2-1 in the replay round. Luton also defeated Everton 2-1 on the road in the fourth round as Cauley Woodrow scored a late winner. Here, the Luton Town vs. Man City odds list the Hatters as 1.5-goal underdogs.
Man City Grab Nervy Victory at Bournemouth
Manchester City came away with a 1-0 victory at Bournemouth on Saturday and it was by no means comfortable. City had to deal with countless Bournemouth attacks and the Cherries had quite a few chances but couldn’t manage to get on the scoresheet. Erling Haaland didn’t find the net for City but he did cause problems for the Bournemouth defense. Haaland had a first half shot parried out, which Phil Foden finished to put City ahead.
That goal ended up being the game’s only goal and City managed to get over the line. City have taken 29 points from their last 10 Premier League matches, which is incredibly impressive. They also haven’t lost, in any competition, since December and they’ve conceded just twice in their last five games overall. Still, Pep Guardiola’s side looks more vulnerable than they usually do and they haven’t been as dominant as we’re used to.
Haaland has scored once in his last four matches but the Norwegian does lead the EPL with 17 goals. To get to the FA Cup fifth round, City easily defeated Huddersfield 5-0 and they managed to take down Tottenham 1-0 on the road. The FA Cup final odds price City as +185 favorites to repeat as champions. The Cityzens have conceded just one goal in their last eight FA Cup games. Josko Gvardiol is out injured for Guardiola’s side, while Jack Grealish is day-to-day.
Luton Town vs Man City Match Analysis & Odds
This season, Luton Town’s matches have generally been high-scoring affairs. Their matches, in all European competitions, have averaged 3.27 goals and they’ve conceded 13 goals in their last four matches alone. Rob Edwards’ side are also on an eight-game scoring streak, with a 3-2-3 record during that time. City don’t typically concede much, especially in the FA Cup and they’ll look to deflate this game with possession.
The Luton Town vs. Man City odds price City as -340 road favorites for Tuesday’s match, while Luton come in as +775 underdogs. In the event of a draw (+445) the match will go straight into extra time, unlike the previous rounds. With a crucial period coming up for City, they’ll want to avoid any extra minutes.
Here, bettors can back both Luton +1.5 and Man City -1.5 at -115 odds and the score finished 2-1 to City the last time the teams met at Kenilworth Road. Expect a fair bit of rotation from Guardiola with a Manchester Derby coming up during the weekend. Over 3 goals are priced at -120 odds and City have outscored their opponents 6-0 in this season’s FA Cup so far.
