Luton Town vs Sunderland prediction 16.05.2023

• Competition: Championship, Playoff Semi-Finals, 2nd leg
• Date: Tuesday, 16th May 2023
• Kickoff: 20:00 UK / 21:00 CEST
• Venue: Kenilworth Road (Luton)

In the second leg of the Championship Playoff Semi-Finals, we are headed to Luton after a 2:1 for Sunderland. We saw a close match in the first leg, where Sunderland had more chances and better possession. Still, according to the xG, Luton Town had better chances and should have scored 1.01 goals, while Sunderland should score just 0.44 goals despite having 60% ball possession. 

Luton Town achieved three promotions since the 2013/14 season and looking for its fourth through the playoffs. The last season they finished sixth and were eliminated by Huddersfield in the semi-finals. This season, The Hatters finished the season third, behind Burnley and Sheffield Utd, and secured the playoffs a long time ago. 

Before the loss to Sunderland, The Hatters were on a 14-game unbeaten run, and this one loss shouldn't affect such a good team as Luton. 

Sunderland achieved promotion last season through the playoffs in League One after finishing 5th in the regular phase, and this season they are trying to replicate that scenario. They barely made the playoffs and were tied with Blackburn for that 6th place with 69 points, but they had a better goal difference.

Just like Luton Town, Sunderland played very well in the last part of the season. They extended their unbeaten run to ten with a win in the first leg of the Playoffs Semi-Finals.

Luton Town vs Sunderland pick: Luton Town to win

Through the regular season, Luton Town have been great and deservedly finished third. They were also superb at home in the final part of the season, with five wins and one draw in the last six games. During that period, they managed to keep a clean sheet four times! 

Sunderland finished the season strongly, but they mainly played against teams from the bottom half of the league table. 

Sunderland are having a massive problem with injured players. They will miss at least eight important players. 

In the first leg, Sunderland won by 2:1 in a fairly even match. We will most likely see another close game, but we feel Luton Town have an advantage over Sunderland at Kenilworth Road.