• Luton Town v Watford
• Sky Bet Championship
• Kenilworth Road
• Saturday April 1, 12.30pm KO
• Black and white third kit

Please read the following information from Bedfordshire Police ahead of the trip to Kenilworth Road:

Ahead of the Luton Town v Watford fixture at the weekend, we would like to remind supporters that entry to the match will only be permitted with tickets collected from Vicarage Road with travel provided via coaches.

For anyone who is planning on travelling to Luton without a ticket, it is important to know that the match will not be shown in any pub or licensed venue in the town. Bedfordshire Police has also put a section 34 dispersal order in place across the town which gives officers the power to direct people away from the area if they are believed to be likely to contribute to anti-social behaviour or crime or disorder.

This is to ensure that the focus remains on the fixture and a safe matchday experience for all spectators. Please refrain from travelling to Luton without a ticket.

At recent away matches we’ve been aware of an increase in the use of the ‘g-word’, which is used at the end of a popular chant about our local rivals. We are fully aware that our supporters have used this chant for several years, and that the reminder issued ahead of the home match in October represented the first time we have been specific about it. We’re also aware that many supporters consider the word to be ‘football banter’ and ‘part of the game’ rather than a racist word.

Our position on racism and all other forms of discrimination inside stadiums and in reply to our social media posts has been made very clear through the promotion of the We Campaign, which was created to help us tackle these incidents when they happen. The word in question is racist, its use can be classed as a hate crime and we will no longer ignore its use at our matches.

Having been at the forefront of football’s campaign to be fully inclusive since Graham Taylor and Sir Elton John joined forces to put Watford on the map, we don’t believe for one moment that our supporters would use other more commonly-known racist or discriminatory words in chants. We remain proud of our record in this regard and ask everyone to play their part in tackling discrimination by no longer using the g-word in chants.

• Referee: Josh Smith
• Assistant Referees: Matthew Jones and Akil Howson
• Fourth Official: Lee Swabey

Having only lost twice since the New Year, the Hatters have been in good form heading into the derby. They currently occupy fourth in the second-tier standings and will be hoping to produce a good performance at Kenilworth Road to maintain their place in the play-offs - and perhaps even push for the second automatic spot - under former Hornets boss Rob Edwards.

• Watford are looking to complete their first league double over Luton since the 1986/87 top-flight campaign.

• The Hatters have won just one of their last 12 league games against Watford (D7 L4).

• Watford have only failed to score in one of their last seven Football League games against Luton, while they’ve scored 13 goals in the other six games in that run.

For a full statistical breakdown, check out Stats Buzz: Luton Town In Numbers.

Head Coach Chris Wilder reported there were no fresh injury concerns within the Watford camp following the two-week international break. Hamza Choudhury is available after completing his suspension, while Ismaïla Sarr is in contention following injury.

Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu is sidelined through injury for Luton, but boss Edwards is expected to stick with much of the XI which started the 1-1 draw at Sunderland last time out (Saturday March 18).

Chris Wilder, Watford Head Coach:

“I think we’re all looking forward to it. It’s a big game, and we can’t play it down. We know it’s going to be a tough afternoon, but it’s one we’re excited about because it’s important for where we are with the stage of the season, because it’s a local derby, and because of our need for the three points.

“We have to be together as a group on Saturday - as players, staff and fans. I’m sure the fans will act in the right way, and then it’s all about the football. Hopefully everything can go smoothly, and we can have a great day together.

“With where we are in the table we understand we haven’t done enough so far. There’s not really any leeway for failure now on in, but what I know from experience is what a big performance and result can do for a team at this stage of the season. We’re playing catch-up but we can still make the play-offs, but as always my focus is solely on each game as it comes. If we can kickstart a successful run, things will take care of themselves.”

Rob Edwards, Luton Town Manager:

“I can’t sit here in front of you and say that it is just another game, I recognise it’s not. I know what it means and I know what it means to the supporters.

“We’re in a fantastic position in the league, it’s our biggest game, it’s the one that all our supporters look for first and it’s the first time we’re going to be playing in front of our supporters in this game in 17 years.

“It’s an amazing opportunity to have a great day, but it’s down to us to work extremely hard, respect them because they’ve got very good players, Chris Wilder’s a really good coach, a very experienced manager, so we know how difficult it’s going to be. But we hope it’s going to be a really good day for us.”

Overall:

Won: 30
Drawn: 23
Lost: 37

Last Six:

October 2022: Watford 4-0 Luton Town (Championship)
April 2021: Luton Town 1-0 Watford (Championship)
September 2020: Watford 1-0 Luton Town (Championship)
April 2006: Watford 1-1 Luton Town (Championship)
January 2006: Luton Town 1-2 Watford (Championship)
September 2002: Watford 1-2 Luton Town (League Cup)

Last time out, in October 2022, Watford put four past the Hatters as they secured a memorable victory at Vicarage Road.