Mauricio Pochettino can end two-year Chelsea problem vs Luton started by Thomas Tuchel

Mauricio Pochettino and his Chelsea players face a challenging task this weekend with a trip to Luton Town in Premier League action. At Kenilworth Road this season, the Hatters have taken four points off Newcastle and Liverpool and will be in high spirits after securing a huge three points against relegation rivals Sheffield United on Boxing Day.

The Blues may have secured three points against Crystal Palace earlier this week, but their recent form is mixed with success away from Stamford Bridge minimal over the last few months. With that in mind, now may be the worst possible time to face Luton on their own patch with Pochettino warning his players they must be at their best to get anything from the game.

«Of course. I think that game against Crystal Palace is a good example that we need to go there, to Luton, and to think it is going to be really tough,» he admitted. «The stadium, the fans, it is a team that loves to fight, loves to work really, really hard.

»It is so difficult if you watch the last few games at their stadium, it's always tough for all of the opponents. If we want to get a good result, we need to be ready to of course play football, but we need to match their desire, the capacity to fight in every single goal. It's going to be a good test for us. It’s the challenge to be consistent. For us now, it's to go there and first of all to fight, be clever, be focused and then try to win the game."

2023 has been a turbulent year for Chelsea but they can end it with a win — but doing so will involve a two-year unwanted streak being broken. The Blues head slightly north for a lunchtime kick-off with the concern surrounding their previous success in that kick-off slot.

In October, Chelsea were beaten by Brentford with