Watford vs. Stoke City
Venue: Vicarage Road
Kick off:4pm
Watford play host to Stoke City today knowing that they can move to within three points of the Potters in the Premier League table with a win at Vicarage Road.
Stoke make the trip to the Hornets having slipped down to ninth in the standings, but Mark Hughes is aware that three points on their travels will move the club back into contention for a Europa League spot.
Before the season began, Watford would have considered Premier League survival and a decent cup run as a hugely successful campaign, but Quique Sanchez Flores faces the job of trying to achieve much more than that in the closing two months.
With the club sitting 12 points clear of the relegation zone with just nine games left, the Hornets are almost assured of a spot in the top flight next year, and priority will now be placed on securing a place in the FA Cup final for the first time in 32 years.
Given their form in the league, Watford were underdogs when they took to the pitch against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium last weekend but they surprised many with an excellent showing in North London as Odion Ighalo and Adlene Guedioura earned the club a famous win.
With the competition so fierce for a top-six spot, Stoke City could not afford any slip-ups when they hosted Southampton last weekend, but two goals from Graziano Pelle condemned the club to a disappointing defeat at the Britannia Stadium.
It has resulted in the club dropping down towards mid-table, with Southampton stealing a march on them in the race for qualification for the Europa League, but Stoke are still in a position where they can dictate their own future.
Liverpool and West Ham United are still to come before the end of the campaign, but Hughes is aware that his team must prevail in matches such as the one on Saturday if they are going to remain in contention.
Watford possible starting lineup:
Gomes, Nyom, Prodl, Cathcart, Ake, Watson, Behrami; Capoue, Guedioura, Deeney, Ighalo
Stoke City possible starting lineup:
Butland, Cameron, Wollscheid, Muniesa, Pieters, Whelan, Imbula, Bojan, Afellay, Arnautovic, Diouf