Luton v Hartlepool Betting Tips: Hatters to retain momentum at Kenilworth Road

Two teams who’re in contrasting form right now go head-to-head at Kenilworth Road on Tuesady night as promotion hopefuls Luton play host to lowly Hartlepool.

Having lost somewhat unexpectedly against a struggling Cheltenham side a few weeks back, Nathan Jones’ Luton side have bounced back to win each of their last two at home, wins that lead them into this game in good condition.

Hartlepool’s dismal campaign went on at the weekend as they slumped to a 4-0 defeat at Mansfield, yet another display where Dave Jones’ team showed they’re lacking both quality and any sort of solidity at the back. Such a defensive shambles doesn’t bode well ahead of a trip to face one of League Two’s better attacking units.

Given the difference in form, this match really does appear to be an excellent opportunity for the hosts to retain their forward momentum. At odds of 10/11 and 6/4 respectively, ‘Luton to Win & Over 1.5 Goals’ and ‘Luton to Score in Both Halves’ are the two bets to go for ahead of this one.

In front of a home crowd is where The Hatters have been at their best during this campaign, at least from an attacking point of view anyway. Having scored 25 goals, they’ve lost just four matches and come into this fixture having won five of their last six matches on home soil. All five of those victories saw Luton score at least twice, while they exceeded this amount on three occasions.

With seven goals to their name in their last two fixtures (both of which were at home), Luton really should be entering this match full of confidence – something that certainly cannot be said about the visitors at this moment in time.

Scoring goals in both halves is also something that the hosts have become accustomed to when playing at Kenilworth Road. Luton have scored both before and after the interval in four of their last five at home. Against a Hartlepool side who’ve conceded more goals on the road (32 to be exact) than any other League Two team this season, it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise if The Hatters continued to treat their fans to goals in both halves.

The fact that Luton are averaging the second most shots on target per game in this division certainly isn’t a positive for the visitors either.

Having shipped a total of 52 goals this season (more than 22 of the other 23 teams in this division), Hartlepool have struggled massively to keep teams at bay, particularly away from home. They’ve conceded at least twice in 11 of their away outings this season (all-competitions). Such a defensive record certainly doesn’t bode well considering Luton’s current form, nor does the way in which the visitors offered little resistance when receiving a battering from Mansfield on Saturday.

Right now, these two teams are going in different directions and the hosts are the only team to side with here. An in-form Luton side can continue to make this a season to forget for Hartlepool when the two teams meet on Tuesday night.

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