The heavily reduced schedule in the Premier League this weekend sees just one match taking place on Sunday instead of the traditional two, but it is still a pretty important contest as Watford host Southampton at Vicarage Road.
Watford received a boost on Saturday when their relegation rivals Aston Villa were beaten at home by Wolves and so a win here will put them in a very good position to escape danger from. Southampton still need a few points to make it to the magical 40 but it would take a strange twist for them to go down.
Where to watch
The match is being shown on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League with the programme beginning on the latter at 4pm and the former at 4.15pm. It is also on Sky One and Pick with the build up beginning at 4pm on both channels. The match kicks off at 4.30pm.
Watford
It has been a mixed start to the Premier League campaign for Watford. They will feel their efforts have deserved more than the one point they have picked up against Leicester City and Burnley, but their detractors would suggest they didn’t create much against the former and were outplayed by the latter for the opening 45 minutes and at times in the second period too. Whichever side you take, one thing that is certain is they have to start picking up points soon.
When you look at this Watford side you just get the impression that where they are is what they are. On paper at least, they look a little light at the back and while they have experience up top, there isn’t anyone who you look at and are guaranteed 15 goals from. They’ll need to address both issues next season if they stay up, but for now it is all about getting as many points on the board however they come along.
Southampton
Southampton have been up and down since the restart. They looked very strong in dismantling Norwich in their first game back, but to be fair to them that form hasn’t exactly been franked in a positive fashion. A pretty take 2-0 defeat to Arsenal on Thursday evening was much more of a concern as the Saints had genuine hopes of knocking off the Gunners going into that contest, yet barely landed a glove on them.
It might be that Southampton play better here. They have been much better on their travels this season than on home ground so being away might not faze them in any way. It remains to be seen how Ralph Hasenhuttl will rotate his troops here but this is a match they won’t want to lose as it just increases the pressure on their survival hopes just a little. It goes without saying that they’ll need to be a lot better than they were on Thursday however.
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Team News
Watford boss Nigel Pearson is expected to shake up his starting XI after a disappointing showing at Turf Moor on Thursday night, but he will not be able to call upon the likes of Gerard Deulofeu and Isaac Success who are both out for the rest of the campaign.
Southampton will need to rejig defensively because Jack Stephens serves his suspension after his red card against Arsenal on Thursday evening. Moussa Djenepo is also suspended while Sofiane Boufal and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg face fitness tests in order to be involved.
Betting
We should see a better match than it looks on paper here because Watford clearly enjoy being at home more than away and Southampton are the exact reverse of that. Their better results clearly come on the road so both teams should be in their element here, which should see them free up and play some football. What that does mean though is that this isn’t the easiest match to bet on. It might be that both being happy sees them end up in a draw but I’m never keen on backing those.
What it might also do though is allow both teams to relax and go on the attack and that is the angle I am approaching this match with. I believe both teams to score is a good bet at just under the even money mark. Southampton have played 15 matches away from home this season and the only one they have failed to score in was at Anfield when they played Liverpool. Watford generally score in the majority of their home matches and you don’t look at either of these defences and think they are watertight. It goes against the early trends but I like both teams to score here.
Tips
WON – Back Both teams to score for a 3/10 stake at 1.87 with Betfair
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