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For the first time since 1991, Chelsea and Luton Town are facing off in a top flight match as Stamford Bridge plays host to the newly promoted side from Bedfordshire, bidding for their first points in just their second game of the season. Their hosts on Friday night are not all that far ahead of them having drawn with Liverpool and lost at West Ham to start Mauricio Pochettino's tenure at the club. The Blues have not won a home league game in their last eight matches and have conceded the first goal in six on the spin.

With injuries piling up for Pochettino and new signings yet to be blooded in, this has the feel of the perfect circumstances in which Luton could claim a major upset against one of the Premier League's elite. Having said that, it would still constitute an almighty shock. Can they achieve it? Here is how you can watch the match and all you need to know:

Viewing information

  • Date: Friday, Aug. 25 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
  • Location: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, United Kingdom
  • TV: USA Network | Live stream: fubo (try for free)
  • Odds: Chelsea -450; Draw +550; Luton +1100

Storylines

Chelsea: They might have spent nearly a billion pounds in the last three windows to strengthen their squad but going into game three of the season, all the talk at Stamford Bridge is about the gaps in Pochettino's group. In part that is down to injuries with a knock picked up by Mykhailo Mudryk meaning that nine players are currently sidelined. Carney Chukwuemeka, scorer in the defeat to West Ham and one of Chelsea's top performers so far this season, will also be out for the next six weeks after injuring his knee at the London Stadium.

While injuries have been a factor in Chelsea's slow start, their attack has struggled to burst into life even as Pochettino's side have exerted greater control on games, 27 shots a little below what might be expected from those first two games. Adding some firepower to the squad should help that and Pochettino is targeting exactly that, telling his pre-match press conference, "We need a little bit of help now. We are trying to find the right profile. The most important is the profile of the player we need to add to the squad so after it won't be a problem and they can be compatible. That is why it is not easy but yes, we are trying to do something."

Luton: Work to upgrade Kenilworth Road meant that what should have been the Hatters' first home game against Burnley last week was postponed, Luton are now just the second side to play both of their first two Premier League matches away from home. They were certainly given a harsh introduction to life in the top flight as Brighton brushed them aside in a 4-1 win that will have taught these newly promoted players how ruthlessly errors are punished at the highest level. Stamford Bridge could make for a tough test for Rob Edwards and company, though their more direct style of play could ask questions that the likes of Axel Disasi and Levi Colwill will not have had to answer before.

They might also hope that now is the right time to face a team who will still be learning about each other. Certainly, that is what Edwards is looking for. 

"They've brought in a lot of top players, but they're still a new team and building as well, so they might not be at their best and have the most rhythm right now," he said this week. "Like Brighton last week, it's as difficult a test as you can get away from home in the Premier League, but we're looking forward to it."

Prediction

Luton could well make it tricky for a coalescing Chelsea side but the Blues should just about have the quality to get the job done. Pick: Chelsea 1, Luton 0