PREVIEW: Cardiff City v Luton Town

Cardiff City have yet to show the kind of form this season that was enough to earn them a place in the play-offs last term, with manager Neil Harris' position starting to come under increasing pressure.

After finishing fifth in the table, the Bluebirds had dreams of a swift return to the Premier League after just one year away, only to go down 3-2 on aggregate over two legs against Fulham.

They have suffered something of a hangover since, sent tumbling out of the Carabao Cup by Northampton Town and then beaten 2-0 at home by Sheffield Wednesday.

A 2-0 win at Nottingham Forest was a slight pick-me-up, before a home defeat to Reading and draw at Blackburn Rovers.

Harris's side won at Preston, but the home form remained an issue, draws with Bournemouth and Middlesbrough, before Cardiff struggled on the road too, drawing at Derby and beaten by QPR.

The Bluebirds did have a victory at the Cardiff City Stadium at the fifth time of asking, seeing off Barnsley 3-0, but they have now gone three league games without a win, defeat at Coventry on Wednesday night meaning they are 18th in the table, already nine points adrift of the top six.

Speaking to Wales Online, Harris believes they are capable of closing the deficit but certainly doesn't want it to increase any further, saying: "It’s not a gap we want. We want to be in those play-off positions. We have not won enough games.

"It’s a tough one as a manager because the performances have been excellent recently but we haven’t had the results.

"You need to believe in what you’re doing and how you’re developing the football club, as well as the team, will get you results.

"I’m really pleased with the majority of our play, with or without the ball, but I want to win games of football.

"I certainly don’t want that gap to get any bigger. We showed last year we are capable of closing a bigger gap than that, but it’s not a scenario we wanted to be in this year.”

Cardiff certainly splashed some cash in the summer to try and break into the top two this time, with striker Kieffer Moore arriving from Wigan for £2m.

They also used the loan market, Liverpool duo Harry Wilson and Sheyi Ojo both joining, as did Premier League young duo Jordi Osei-Tutu and Filip Benkovic from Arsenal and Leicester respectively, the latter yet to feature so far.

Out though went imposing defender Aden Flint on loan to Sheffield Wednesday, where he joined ex-Cardiff team-mate Callum Paterson, while Neil Etheridge headed to Birmingham, as Town found out to their cost on Tuesday night, Danny Ward and Omar Bogle moving on as well.

Team news: Luton hope to have Kazenga LuaLua back after he missed Tuesday night's 1-1 draw with Birmingham, but striker Danny Hylton might not be risked.

Dan Potts is fit too, although Brendan Galloway hasn't recovered from his long-term injury.

For Cardiff, Lee Tomlin is out until the new year after undergoing groin surgery, with full-back Jordi Osei-Tutu sidelined, as is striker Isaac Vassell with yet another long-term injury.

Top scorers: Hatters - James Collins (5). Bluebirds - Kieffer Moore (4).

Milestones: Luke Berry made it 100 appearances for the Hatters on Tuesday night against Birmingham City, while striker James Collins racked up his 150th since moving to Kenilworth Road as well.

Man in the middle: Josh Smith – First ever Luton match for the official who has taken 10 games this season, just three at Championship level, showing 31 yellow cards and one red.

Only his third second campaign in the Football League with 26 matches last term, brandishing 81 cautions and dismissing six players, as he was in the National League during the 2018-19 season.

Assistant referees are Steven Meredith and Mark Jones, with the fourth official James Linington.

In charge: Neil Harris - 43-year-old who was a prolific striker in his playing days, joining Millwall from Cambridge City in 1998, spending six years at the club, with a brief loan stint at Cardiff City, then heading to Nottingham Forest in 2004.

Returned to the New Den in 2007, and after finding the net 138 times in total, is the Lions' all-time record goalscorer.

Finished his career at Southend United, retiring with injury in June 2013.

Had several stints as caretaker manager at Millwall, before given the permanent job in the summer of 2015, leading the Lions back to the Championship in the 2016-17 campaign.

Resigned as Millwall boss in October 2019 after his side were held to a 1-1 draw by Luton, but wasn't out of work for long, named Cardiff boss a month later.

View from the opposition: Neil Harris - "We look forward to the opportunity for us to turn it around, to improve and to get the results that recent performances have deserved – not tonight's performance.

“The level of performance wasn't good enough. We were masters of our own downfall giving the ball away cheaply.

“We've shown we can be better and that has to start on Saturday against Luton.”

Friendly faces: Town defender Tom Lockyer was born in Cardiff and joined the Bluebirds as youngster, but was released at 16 and headed to Bristol Rovers, signing a scholarship deal with the Pirates.

For Cardiff, striker Isaac Vasell remains with the Bluebirds despite not featuring since August 2019 due to a succession of injuries.

City also have two ex-Hatters in their backroom staff, assistant manager David Livermore and goalkeeping coach Andy Dibble.

Livermore arrived at Kenilworth Road on loan from Brighton in March 2009, appointed manager of Histon in August 2010.

Became youth team coach at Millwall in 2015, named assistant under Harris, a role he continued when the manager headed to Wales.

Dibble moved to Bedfordshire in 1984 for £125,000 from Cardiff and achieved hero status with Luton fans for his penalty save against Arsenal in the 3-2 Littlewoods Cup Final win in 1988.

Only played 39 times in total for Town, leaving for Manchester City in 1988 and since hanging his boots up has worked for Accrington Stanley, Coventry City, Peterborough United and Rotherham United, moving back to Wales in 2017.

Played for both: Adrian Alston began his career as a youth player with Preston North End before moving to Australia where he featured for South Coast United, St George and Safeway United and was called up to the national team.

The striker helped his side qualify for the 1974 FIFA World Cup, playing all three games, as he signed for the Hatters later that year, going on to play 31 matches, scoring nine goals.

After one season at Kenilworth Road, he joined Cardiff City for £20,000 where he spent two campaign and helped the club win the Welsh Cup in 1976.

Received a lucrative offer to play in the North American Soccer League with the newly formed Tampa Bay Rowdies, where he spent two seasons before retiring after suffering a serious knee ligament injury.

Returned to Australia to work as a manager, taking charge of Wollongong Wolves in 1983 and then worked for Corrimal Rangers and Port Kembla, winning 26 trophies between 1991 and 2004.

Later returned to Wollongong for a second spell before managing Bulli between 2006 and 2007.

One to watch: Kieffer Moore – 28-year-old striker started out with Truro City, before spells at Dorchester, Yeovil Town, Viking (Norway) and Forest Green, before a £10,000 move to Ipswich in January 2017.

A loan stint at Rotherham was where Moore really caught the eye though, scoring 13 times in 22 league games, with a £750,000 move to Barnsley in January 2018, doing superbly at Oakwell with 23 goals in 55 matches.

Headed to Wigan in August 2019 bagging 10 goals in 36 league games last term, as Cardiff paid out £2m for him in August and he has bagged four in 13 appearances so far.

Also been in fine form his country as well with two goals for Wales this term.

We've got form: Cardiff has traditionally been a miserable place for the Hatters to visit since their first game, a 3-0 defeat back in the Southern League in 1913.

An abysmal start saw Town lose their first seven games in Wales, ending that run in style with a 4-0 Division Three South win in 1934, Davie Hutchison bagging a brace.

After a 3-2 win in 1936, Luton then had to wait another 31 years and 14 matches for a next victory, triumphing 4-1 in Division Two in October 1977.

Three more defeats followed, but Hatters finally found some form in recent times, going five games undefeated between 1982 and 2005, with four wins and one draw, until suffering a 4-1 defeat in 2006.

They were beaten 2-1 in the league last season, Isaac Vassell scoring a cruel stoppage time winner, with Luton's last league win back in October 2005.

Overall, the Hatters have played 36 times, winning eight, drawing seven and losing 21 matches, scoring 43 goals but conceding 63.

Last time out: Luton ran out convincing 3-0 winners at Cardiff in their Carabao Cup second round tie last season.

An own goal just before half time by Junior Hoilett saw the Hatters go ahead, before Alan Sheehan curled in a superb free kick on 63 minutes to make it 2-0.

Striker Jake Jervis then scored his one and only Luton goal seven minutes later to complete the victory.

Hatters: James Shea, James Bree (Luke Bolton 46), Brendan Galloway, Lloyd Jones, Alan Sheehan, Luke Berry, Jake Jervis (Callum McManaman 81), Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu, George Moncur, Izzy Brown, Elliot Lee.

Subs not used: Marek Stech, Dan Potts, Andrew Shinnie, Jacob Butterfield, Josh Neufville,

Attendance: 4,111.

Referee: Tony Harrington.