Luton Town boss Jack Wilshere has spoken of his excitement about their trip to League One table toppers Cardiff City.
The Hatters travel to Wales on the back of two straight wins, which included one against play-off rivals Bradford City.
The wins have helped them close the gap on the Bantams to four points, although they have played a game more than the Yorkshire side. Luton are also four points off Huddersfield Town in 5th, but have played a game less than the Terriers.
Wilshere’s side are very much in the hunt for the play-offs, but the game against Cardiff poses a real test.
Wilshere: Cardiff City a “good marker”
Speaking to the BBC ahead of his side’s trip to Wales, Luton boss Wilshere explained what he expects from the Bluebirds and how the game excites him:
“It’s a game that excites me.
“We’ve struggled away from home with teams that are direct and put balls in the box – I’m not saying they [Cardiff] won’t put balls in our box, but they’ll try and do it in a different way, which we have to be ready for.
“It’s a good challenge for us, a good marker to see how far we’ve come since I’ve come in and for us to test ourselves against the top of the league.”
When asked what his side will do, the former Arsenal midfielder said:
“Our challenge is to go there and try to make them defend for long periods and try and limit the time we have to defend.”
Who Do Luton Town Need To Be Wary Of?
The Bluebirds come into this game on a 10-game unbeaten run, a run that stretches back to December.
Yousef Salech has been one of the standouts for Cardiff this season. The Dane has scored 12 league goals this season and has an average Sofascore rating of 6.9.
In total, he is averaging three shots per game and one shot on target per game.
The 24-year-old has also chipped in with four assists, as well as creating seven big chances and averaging 0.8 key passes per game.
Another threat going forward is Chris Willock. The English midfielder has 12 goal contributions this season, with seven goals and five assists.
His average Sofascore rating is slightly higher at 7.11. Against Barnsley at the end of January, Willock received a perfect 10 rating.
Cardiff City’s highest-rated player on Sofascore is currently defender Perry Ng. The 29-year-old has an average rating of 7.24.
Ng has been a defensive rock for the Bluebirds. He’s averaging 0.9 interceptions per game, 1.7 tackles per game, and 1.7 clearances per game. The defender has also recovered 3.9 balls per game.
Luton’s task against Cardiff won’t just be stopping their attacking quality, but finding a way past a resolute Bluebirds backline.
