Premier League predictions: Chelsea vs. Luton Town odds, pick

Things were looking up for Chelsea after an impressive 1-1 draw against Liverpool in Matchweek 1.

The Blues, who closed as a home underdog to the Reds in that match, clawed their way back into the contest after being badly outplayed in the first 20 minutes and were a little unfortunate not to have taken all three points.

There were still some cracks in the performance, but Chelsea earned plenty of praise for a strong showing in their debut under new manager Mauricio Pochettino — especially considering how poor the Blues were last season.

The impressive showing earned Chelsea so much market respect that they spent a lot of last week as an odds-on favorite on the road against West Ham United in Matchweek 2.

The steam would taper off, but Chelsea closed still closed as a +115 road-favorite at London Stadium. 

Chelsea vs. Luton Town pick

The Blues would wind up losing the match, 3-1, and all of a sudden the optimism surrounding Chelsea dissipated. 

Chelsea was a tough team to project before the season started and their first two results have done nothing to change that.

Nonetheless, the Blues are a prohibitive favorite against Luton Town on Friday afternoon.

While Chelsea lost last to West Ham last weekend, Luton Town was off thanks to construction at their home stadium, which needs to be upgraded to meet the standards of the Premier League.

The Hatters lost to Brighton in comprehensive fashion in their season-opener.

It could be ugly for the Hatters this season, but just being in the Premier League is a massive accomplishment for a club of Luton Town’s size.

It was just a decade ago that the Hatters were out of the Football League and playing in the fifth-tier of English soccer.

But the club has ascended through the ranks quickly and now is making a trip to Stamford Bridge to play a team that has spent over a billion dollars since being acquired by American Todd Boehly.

Chelsea’s spending in the transfer market has been insane, but the team does seem to be headed in the right direction (which it better be considering the spending).

The move to hire Pochettino should get the club stabilized and the Argentine has a splendid reputation for developing young talent.

And while the big picture looks promising for Chelsea, there are still problems to solve in the immediate term.

Those flaws are why I think a bet on the over 3.5 goals at +130 is a shrewd wager this Friday.

Chelsea was without a clear identity last season and they’re now adapting to Pochettino’s vision, so it’ll take some time to get this project flowing.

That means you should expect some mistakes from a club that has plenty of young players in its ranks.

The Blues have not really had any issues creating scoring chances in its first two matches (finishing them has been a different story), but they’re also giving up plenty of looks going the other way.

Luton Town may not have the talent to match Chelsea in this match, but there should be openings for the Hatters in what could be a pretty open contest. 

On the other side of the equation is Luton Town’s defense, which got torn apart by Brighton in the opener and figures to have a similar showing against a team with Chelsea’s attacking talent. 

A pre-game bet on the over 3.5 has value at +130 and this is also a good match for live-betting if it takes some time for the goals to come.

The bet: Over 3.5 goals (+130, BetMGM)