How do Luton Town's first 5 fixtures of 2024/25 compare to Watford | OneFootball

At FLW we're taking a look at how Luton Town's first five fixtures compare in difficulty to Watford's.

Luton Town and Watford will surely both be aiming for a finish towards the upper echelons of the Championship.

Last year we saw the Hatters relegated from the Premier League despite impressing at times with their fluid football.

Meanwhile, Watford once again flattered to deceive as they finished a disappointing 15th place due to inconsistencies within the squad.

This season will provide a clean slate for both sides, and they will be targeting a decent points haul in the opening fixtures of the campaign.

So, at Football League World we have decided to contrast and compare the opening five matches of 2024-25 for Luton and Watford.

Luton Town's start to the campaign

Rob Edwards will be hoping that Luton can get off to the best possible start when they face Burnley at Kenilworth Road on the 12th of August. The Clarets were relegated alongside the Bedfordshire club last season and haven't lost to the Hatters since 2000, so this will prove a difficult start.

After that, Edwards' side has two away fixtures, traveling to face Championship newcomers Portsmouth first and then Preston North End. You would imagine that Luton will be targeting 4–6 points from these two fixtures in a bid to get their season underway.

Pompey may prove a difficult task, though, with the Fratton Park faithful likely to be riled up for their first home fixture in the Championship since 2012.

Just before we head into the September international break, Luton will have the chance to cap off August with a win as they face Marti Cifuentes' Queens Park Rangers at Kenilworth Road. This could prove a strenuous fixture with Cifuentes bringing a renewed sense of optimism to the club, so Luton cannot afford to take this one lightly.

To cap off their first five matches, Luton face the daunting prospect of heading to The Den to face Millwall. To some degree, they may relish this opportunity, with the Hatters unbeaten in their last five games against Neil Harris' side.

For Luton fans, they will be relatively relaxed with the fixtures they have been assigned for the first five weeks of the season. Aside from Burnley, you would imagine that the majority of these teams would be targeting a mid-table finish in 2025, whilst Luton have the lofty ambition of securing automatic promotion.

Watford's start to the campaign

Watford kick-off their campaign with a trip to Millwall, where they have not won since Matěj Vydra and Adlène Guédioura scored in a 2-0 win back in 2015. Recent history suggests that this will be a difficult start then, and Tom Cleverley will have to ensure his boys are right up for the task as the Den will be bouncing on the opening day.

Their away fixture at Millwall is followed up by two home games against Stoke City and Derby County. Both these games could prove difficult, with the Potters and Rams somewhat unknown quantities at the moment, but at home, you would expect Watford to be too strong on each occasion.

Before Watford's stars head out on the international break, they have a tricky game against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane. The Blades have been one of the Championship's top sides in recent years and will be targeting promotion once again this season, so any points here would be a real statement of intent from Cleverley's side.

As they enter September, Watford will cap off their first five fixtures by hosting Coventry City. Mark Robins' side have accrued 134 points across their last two tier-two campaigns and have made some astute additions already in this transfer window, signing Jack Rudoni and Luis Binks. This fixture should prove an exciting one then, with both sides relishing front-foot football.

These opening five games will likely tell us where Watford are as a team next season. If able to perform well, we could see them challenging for the play-offs or above and, based on their home fixtures, you would imagine nine points would be the minimum goal set out by the Watford hierarchy.

Watford's start to the campaign seems a great deal harder than that of Luton, who will be targeting a decent points haul from their five fixtures.

Excluding Millwall away for both sides, Watford are facing teams in Sheffield United and Coventry that will be in and around the play-off picture come May. In addition, Derby will be taking notes on Ipswich Town's campaign to try and replicate their successive promotions, so you can't see that fixture being simple at all.

For Edwards' side, whilst no Championship game is a simple task, the recent exploits of the teams they're facing will be of little concern to them. Additionally, Burnley's managerial issues may mean that they're there for the taking, so a fast-paced start at Kenilworth Road could see Luton blow away the Clarets.

Albeit the first five games are important to set your standard, the following 41 will play a much larger role, so neither of these sides can be written off if they start poorly.

The Luton vs Watford clash

The fixture that both sets of fans will anticipate the most is when they face each other in the Beds-Herts Derby.

The first part of the clash will take place on October 19th, when Watford make the short trip to Kenilworth Road. This will be followed up by the return fixture on February 22nd at the Vic.

Both sides will be desperate to get one over on each other and, based on recent encounters, which have swayed both ways, it could be a difficult one to call.