Luton atmosphere rekindles love for football, says Chelsea's Pochettino
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Luton atmosphere rekindles love for football, says Chelsea's Pochettino
(Reuters) – Luton Town's quaint little home ground Kenilworth Road reminds Mauricio Pochettino of "football from the past" but the Chelsea manager is aware the promoted side will pose a tough challenge for his young squad in Saturday's Premier League fixture.
Chelsea have lost their last four away games in the league and though Luton is no easy place to visit, Pochettino is taken by the charm of the ground, one of the smallest in England's top flight.
"I am an old man, I'm a romantic, I love the football from the past. And these kind of stadiums remind you when you start to play... These stadiums smell different," Pochettino told reporters.
"They are not the luxury that we recognise today but these are the stadiums where you love to be there. Today we live in a different era with new stadium, but you go there and you feel real football. "
Although Luton are 18th in the standings, they have posed a tough challenge at home with Liverpool settling for a draw while Arsenal and Manchester City came from behind to seal narrow victories.
Pochettino expects his side also to find it difficult against Rob Edwards' side.
"The stadium, the fans and it's a team who like to fight and work really hard. And it's so difficult - if you watch the last few games in their stadium, it was tough for all the opponents," Pochettino added.
"If we want to get some good results, we have to be ready to play some good football. But we also have to match their desire, their capacity to fight for every single ball. And it's going to be a good test for us.
"Throughout the year we've struggled against teams like Luton... For me, I'm happy to play there because it will be a good challenge for our young team and it will be a good experience."
Pochettino also confirmed that long-time absentee Romeo Lavia, who came off the bench for his debut in Wednesday's win over Crystal Palace, is injured again.
Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk is also a doubt and the Argentine manager said both players will be assessed ahead of the game.
