PREVIEW: Luton Town v Bournemouth

Bournemouth are starting to show every inch of their expected promotion credentials this season.

Relegated from the Premier League last term, the Cherries took the decision to part company with manager Eddie Howe by mutual consent after a lengthy 11 years of service in total over two spells.

His assistant Jason Tindall took over the number one job and set about recouping around £80m from his squad, selling Nathan Ake to Man City for £41m.

Striker Callum Wilson went to Newcastle for £20m while goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale headed to Sheffield United for £18.5m.

Ryan Fraser moved to Newcastle too, while Alex Dobre joined Dijon and keeper Artur Noruc also left.

Tindall didn't spend too much of the cash in replacing them, with just Rodrigo Riquelme coming in from Atletico Madrid, and ex-Hatters loanee Cameron Carter-Vickers from Spurs.

They still kept hold of Wales international David Brooks while Lewis Cook and Steve Cook remained as did Junior Stanislas and former Hatter Jack Stacey.

With a large chunk of the squad in place, they started by defeating Blackburn, ending up unbeaten in their opening nine league games, although were held to three straight draws during October.

A defeat at Sheffield Wednesday in early November was followed by three successive wins as the Cherries got back on track immediately.

They lost only their second game so far at home to Preston, but followed that up with a thumping 4-0 win at Barnsley to swiftly get it out of their system.

A stalemate at Swansea didn't worry Bournemouth much as they put Huddersfield to the sword 5-0 and then beat Wycombe 1-0 on Tuesday night to move second in the table, just three points behind leaders Norwich City.

In the win over the Chairboys this week, Junior Stanislas and Sam Surridge had a heated on-field altercation after Surridge opted to shoot rather than set up his team-mate.

Speaking to the Bournemouth Echo about the incident, boss Tindall said: “You don’t want to see it.

“There is no jazzing it up to make it look any better but for me that’s just passion from the two players – how much winning the game meant to them.

“That’s all it was. I put it down to great passion, I want my players to play with passion every time they put on the red and black shirt.”

Team news: Luton will make a choice whether to recall keeper Simon Sluga, who is fit again now, but Elliot Lee remains a doubt, as does James Bree.

Glen Rea is suspended after picking up his fifth booking of the season in midweek, although striker Danny Hylton is back, having come on in the 1-0 defeat at Middlesbrough on Wednesday.

For Bournemouth, centre-half Jack Simpson should be okay despite suffering a dislocated finger in Tuesday’s 1-0 victory over Wycombe.

Dutch forward Arnaut Danjuma is still rated as cautious after a hamstring injury since last month, but ex-Hatter Jack Stacey is out with knee ligament damage, as is Chris Mepham (calf) and Cameron Carter-Vickers (ankle).

Top scorers: Hatters: James Collins (9). Cherries: Dominic Solanke (8).

Milestones: Ryan Tunnicliffe's second half appearance during Wednesday's 1-0 defeat to Middlesbrough was the 50th of his Luton career.

The 27-year-old signed for Town last summer and has scored once since, in the 1-0 win at the Riverside last season.

Man in the middle: Dean Whitestone - has taken 12 games this season, showing just 19 yellow cards, with nine of them coming in his last four games.

Officiated Luton's 2-1 win over Derby County, while had the Hatters three times last term, the 2-1 defeat at Birmingham, 3-3 draw with Fulham and 1-1 with Barnsley.

Prior to that, had Town once in December 2015, 2-0 home defeat to Wycombe and twice in the 2014-15 campaign, the 1-1 draw at Exeter and 1-0 win at Tranmere.

Was in charge of Luton five times previously as well, Town winning twice, drawing once and losing twice, sending off Kevin Nicholls in the 1-1 draw with Barnet in 2009 and Paul Furlong in the 2-0 defeat at Huddersfield in 2007.

Referee's assistants are Andrew Fox and Matthew Jones with the fourth official Scott Simpson.

In charge: Jason Tindall 43-year-old who spent the majority of his playing career at Bournemouth, making more than 170 appearances for the club after joining in 1998.

Was released in 2006 and appointed player-manager of Weymouth in January 2007, only to be sacked a year later.

Returned to the Cherries as assistant manager to Jimmy Quinn in September 2008, remaining in that role when Eddie Howe took over.

The pair saved the club from relegation to the Football League and then both moved to Burnley in January 2011, but after just 18 months, were back at Dean Court again.

Helped steer the Cherries from League One to the Premier League in just a few years, and when Howe left in the summer, took over on a permanent basis, penning a three year contract.

View from the opposition: Jason Tindall talking to the club's official website: "It'll be a very tough game, like we have experienced for so long now in the Championship. Every game is different, every game is a tough game and everybody's fighting for points.

"Judging by Luton's last two games at home you can see that. They beat Norwich comfortably and then backed that up with another good home result against Preston, scoring three goals in both of those games.

"That just goes to show what a good side they are and how difficult this game is going to be."

One to watch: Dominic Solanke – 23-year-old striker began his career at Chelsea, loaned to Vitesse Arnhem, scoring seven goals in 28 games.

Earned a move to Liverpool in May 2017, netting one goal in 27 for the Reds, but his form for England U20s/21s saw him head to Bournemouth for £19m.

Struggled in the Premier League for the Cherries, taking 39 games to get his first goal, although did find the net in the FA Cup against the Hatters.

Managed three in total in the top flight, but is really finding his feet this term, with doubles against Reading and Huddersfield taking him to eight strikes in 20 matches.

Friendly faces: Town attacker Harry Cornick began his career with Bournemouth after joining from Christchurch in 2013, but only made one FA Cup sub appearance for the Cherries during his four years with loans at Welling, Aldershot, Havant & Waterlooville, Yeovil, Leyton Orient and Gillingham.

Moved to Luton for an undisclosed fee in August 2017 and has settled well at Kenilworth Road, playing 142 times and scoring 22 goals.

Town defender Martin Cranie joined Bournemouth on loan from Southampton in October 2005, playing three times for the Cherries in League One.

Defender Jack Stacey made 95 appearances and scored five goals for Luton after joining from Reading in June 2017, one of the stars of Town's promotion to the Championship.

Headed to Bournemouth in the summer of 2019, for a fee of around £4m and has made 33 appearances for the Cherries, scoring once so far.

Defender Cameron Carter-Vickers spent the second half of last season on loan at Luton making 16 appearances, playing a huge role in the club's successful fight against relegation.

Joined Bournemouth on loan from Spurs for the season in October, but injury means he hasn't been available yet.

Graeme Jones was appointed Luton boss in May 2019, spending 41 games in at the helm, leaving by mutual consent when the season was suspended due to to the coronavirus pandemic.

Appointed as first team coach at Bournemouth in August.

Former Luton striker Stuart Douglas is the physiotherapist with Bournemouth too.

The attacker came through the ranks at Kenilworth Road, scoring 23 goals in 172 games, before dropping into non-league and retiring in 2010.

Qualified as a physiotherapist, with his first job was at Woking, before spending seven years at AFC Wimbledon until moving to the Vitality Stadium recently.

Played for both: Striker Josh McQuoid started his career at Dean Court, spending almost five years at the Cherries, before moving to Millwall in January 2011.

Went back to Bournemouth in May 2012, staying for another three years as he made over 100 appearance for the club, before heading to Luton in June 2015, signed by then boss John Still.

Played 45 times, scoring eight goals for the Hatters, with loan spells at Stevenage and Torquay, before he moved to Aldershot in January 2018.

Headed to Weymouth in August 2019 and has been there ever since, now captain of the Terras.

We've got form: Luton started of very well indeed with a 6-2 win over Bournemouth in Division Three South in December 1923, Andy Kerr bagging four goals.

They lost their next home outing, but had the upper hand for large chunks of the games in the 1960s, going 31 years without defeat at one stage and also had at one point had five clean sheets in seven, conceding just twice.

Recent times have seen wins shared, with Town triumphing twice in the last eight meetings, beaten on three occasions, heavily in 2009, a 4-1 defeat.

They haven't won in 16 years now, since Kevin Nicholls scored the only goal in a 1-0 in League One win in August 2004.

Overall, Luton still have the upper hand, with 15 wins, eight draws and seven defeats from their 30 matches, scoring 53 goals and conceding 33.

Last time out: A late Paul McVeigh penalty saw Luton earn a share of the spoils in an exciting 3-3 League Two draw with Bournemouth on December 2, 2008.

The hosts took the lead through Ryan Garry's own goal on 18 minutes, before Mark Molesley levelled two minutes later.

He scored again on 51, but Kevin Gallen swiftly equalised, although Matt Tubbs looked to have won it with 14 to go.

However, Town then were awarded a spot-kick and McVeigh slotted home for a point.

Hatters: Conrad Logan, Claude Gnakpa, George Pilkington, Lewis Emanuel (Drew Talbot 46), Kevin Nicholls (Rossi Jarvis 25), Keith Keane, Kevin Watson (Asa Hall 54), Jake Howells, Paul McVeigh, Kevin Gallen, Chris Martin.

Subs not used: Dean Brill, George Beaven.

Referee: Gavin Ward.

Attendance: 6,773.