Coventry City and Luton Town are targeting promotion from the Championship and League One respectively. That is the priority for both clubs, but a run in the EFL Cup would not go amiss either.
Coventry were held to a 0-0 draw by Hull City at the weekend and Frank Lampard will want to see more from his team here. Will the Sky Blues get the job done?
Coventry City vs Luton Town best bets
- Draw – 5/2 with SBK
- Both teams to score – 4/6 with Betfair
- Haji Wright to score any time – 17/10 with Paddy Power
Coventry City vs Luton Town odds
Find the latest Coventry City vs Luton Town betting odds here. All odds are provided by our recommended football bookmakers and are subject to change.
Stay in-play between matches with bet365’s live casino!
Coventry City vs Luton Town predictions
Coventry City suffered Championship play-off heartache last term, losing to a last-gasp Sunderland winner in the semi-finals.
It was the second time in as many years that Coventry had fallen short in the end-of-season tournament, so the club’s fans would love to avoid the stress and go straight up automatically in 2025/26.
Their promotion bid got off a stuttering start at the weekend, though, as Coventry were held to a goalless draw by Hull City.
That was a much better result for Hull than it was for Coventry. Lampard would have expected his team to get off to a winning start against last season’s strugglers, but they did not do enough to collect all three points.
Coventry took plenty of shots, firing 18 efforts at the Hull goal in total, but only one of those went down as a big chance.
“They defended their box well – I think you could tell they were very happy with the draw, Lampard said afterwards.
“So, not easy to break down and maybe with the (lack of) sharpness at the top end of the pitch in the first game of the season it can be a difficult game for different reasons.”
Lampard will be looking for more from his side in the final third, starting with Tuesday’s EFL Cup game against Luton Town.
Matt Bloomfield’s boys are off to a flyer at the beginning of the campaign, beating Wimbledon (1-0) and Peterborough United (2-0).
After their shock relegation last time out, Luton are desperate to get back to the second tier at the first time of asking. They are the bookies’ favourites to go up from League One and Bloomfield will be delighted with his team’s first two results.
Luton will now be looking to make a statement of intent at the Coventry Building Society Arena. It is true that League One is their main focus this season, just as the Championship is Coventry’s, but that does not mean either manager will want to exit the cup in the first round.
The Sky Blues will be seeking revenge for the 2023 play-off final, when Luton edged them out on penalties to win promotion to the Premier League.
Fast forward two years and Coventry are a league above Luton without having been promoted themselves, but despite the gap between the two teams this looks set to be a tight match.
Coventry City vs Luton Town betting tips
Coventry City welcome Luton Town to the West Midlands for this EFL Cup first-round tie.
Draw
Predicting the outcome of games like this is not easy. Whereas we can safely assume most managers will pick their best possible XI for the vast majority of league matches, that is not the case for early-round cup ties.
Both Lampard and Bloomfield may use this occasion to take a look at some of the fringe players in their squad – or perhaps only one of them will do that.
But while Coventry deserve to be favourites – they finished 18 places above Luton last campaign – it could be worth a punt on a draw.
Luton have started the season well and, having played one more competitive game than Coventry, they could be sharper and fitter.
Lampard’s men struggled against a well-organised defence at the weekend, and Luton will not be easy to break down.
Both teams to score
While Luton have looked solid up to now and will do their utmost to be defensively stout again here, Coventry’s attacking options should allow them to find the back of the net.
Lampard was right to highlight their lack of efficiency in advanced areas against Hull, but Coventry were the Championship’s third-highest scorers last term, so beating opposition goalkeepers is not usually an issue.
Luton will have less of the ball on Tuesday than they did against Wimbledon and Peterborough, but they will still carry a threat up top.
The Hatters scored in both their meetings with Coventry last season and they can do so again in this one.
Tip both teams to score at 4/6 with Betfair
Haji Wright to score any time
Haji Wright appeared for the final quarter of Coventry’s draw with Hull having begun the match on the bench as he continues to recover from an achilles issue.
He should be back in the starting line-up against Luton, most likely on the left-hand side of Coventry’s attack.
Wright scored 12 times in the Championship last time out, a respectable tally but one which he will be looking to better this season.
Coventry often look to Wright for inspiration in the final third and he can deliver the goods on Tuesday night.
Back Haji Wright to score any time at 17/10 with Paddy Power
How to watch Coventry City vs Luton Town
- Location: Coventry Building Society Arena, Coventry, England.
- Date and time: Tuesday 12th August, 7.45pm.
- How to watch: Sky Sports+.
About the author
Greg Lea
Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.
Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- GambleAware – www.gambleaware.org
Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.