Nakamba urges Luton to 'embrace' the prospect of facing Liverpool at Kenilworth Road

Town midfielder Marvelous Nakamba insists the Hatters have to ‘embrace’ the challenge of facing Liverpool in today’s Super Sunday clash at Kenilworth Road.

The Reds, who are hotly tipped for an assault on both the Premier League title and Europa League this term, sitting third in the table, know a win could take them to the top for 24 hours at least, with Spurs hosting Chelsea tomorrow.

They are huge favourites to do so as well, with barely a soul outside of Bedfordshire giving the Hatters a chance, but Nakamba, who signed for Town permanently in the summer, knows days like today are just why the Hatters fought so hard to win the Championship play-offs last term.

He said: “I think it’s a big game for everyone, the fans, the community, for Luton, for everyone surrounding the club.

"It’s an exciting time to be competing with the best players in the world, we just have to enjoy the moment, embrace it, push each other, compete and fight.

“As a football player and as a team, we should be excited to be involved in this kind of game.

"The club fought to be here, so I think it’s a good time to experience it, to embrace it and to compete at that level.

"It’s good for the players, good for the club to find yourself in that situation.

"It’s a time where we just have to stick together as a team, as a football club, enjoy the moment and compete.”

To do that, Nakamba will have to try and keep quiet one of the best midfield’s in domestic football, Liverpool splashing out over £110m in the summer to bring in duo Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai from Brighton & Hove Albion and RB Leipzig respectively.

The pair appear to have struck up an instant relationship, as they look to support a certain Mohamed Salah, who has carried on where he left off from last season, with 10 goals in all competitions so far.

Nakamba continued: “Of course, they’re one of the best clubs in the world, so for us we just have to look at ourselves and be positive about it.

"To find ourselves competing in that situation, to be playing against those players, this is what we dream of, for me when I grow up, to be playing against the best.”

For the Zimbabwean international, he should start his 11th top flight game in a row this afternoon, easily his best run at this level since arriving in English football in 2019, Aston Villa splashing out £11m to sign him from Belgian side Club Brugge.

It’s something that he was hoping to do when agreeing to move to Luton in the summer from the Villains after an extremely successful loan spell at Kenilworth Road last term.

He said: “Every football player always wants to play each and every time.

"Everyone is pushing everyone in training, we support each other in training, the group is together and we are sticking together.

"Hopefully whoever is playing, everyone is supporting and we just hope we get a positive result.”

There is every chance that Nakamba could line up alongside England midfielder Ross Barkley once more, the pair starting in the Midlands last weekend as Town were defeated 3-1.

It’s a partnership that the former Vitesse Arnhem player was happy to be a part of, adding: “He has played for the Three Lions, Chelsea, Everton and I played with him also before at Aston Villa.

"I know him and I’ve admired him, he’s a good player.

"It’s always a good feeling to see those kinds of players at the club and for me personally.”