At his pre-match press conference Rob Edwards said the trio could feature this weekend – and the boss also had encouraging news on the fitness of defenders Reece Burke and Mads Andersen.

Skipper Lockyer missed the 4-3 midweek defeat to Arsenal after being withdrawn at half-time against Brentford, and the boss is hopeful that the centre-half could return for City.

Edwards confirmed both Nakamba and Lokonga have trained fully this week, but the boss is mindful of Lokonga’s match fitness having not played for the Town since limping off against Wolves with a hamstring injury back in September.

“He’s been out for a long time, so we need to be sensitive how we integrate him back into things,” said Edwards.

Meanwhile Burke is “very, very close”, and Andersen is “progressing well and is very close to full training” as the manager eyes a clean bill of health for his squad as the busy festive period nears.

One player the Hatters will be without on Sunday, however, will be Issa Kaboré, with the right-sided defender ineligible to play against his parent club.

Edwards also explained that Chiedozie Ogbene continues to be nursed back in his recovery from a hamstring injury that kept him off international duty. The Irish winger, who came on as a substitute on Tuesday night, has not trained fully but is available for selection.