Watford vs Manchester United
Venue: Vicarage Road
Kick off: 1:45pm
Nigerian striker, Odion Ighalo, would hope at sustaining his top form in the English Premier League as Watford battle Manchester United at Vicarage Road on Saturday (today).
Ighalo and Troy Deeney have been the biggest positive, but Flores is likely to be worried about the lack of goals arriving from elsewhere, with only Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa scoring less than their tally of 11 league goals.
Occupying 11th spot at this stage of the campaign is a great achievement, and one that is certain to have pleased Watford fans, but the pressure is on to maintain the momentum they have gained.
Watford are yet to suffer back-to-back defeats in the league this season, but with so many more challenges to come, even victory today would not be enough to encourage any overconfidence from inside the club.
Manchester United will look to keep the pressure on the three sides above them in the Premier League.
Watford could move into the top half of the table with a positive result after entering the international break on the back of a defeat.
Since the start of the campaign, Watford have gone about their business quietly and impressively to earn breathing space from the relegation zone after 12 games.
Quique Flores has refused to set many targets for his side on their return to the top tier of English football, but their performances early in the season give the Hornets boss plenty to be optimistic about as they prepare for one of the toughest tests in the league.
Victories over Stoke City and West Ham United edged Watford up the table prior to the break, before Jamie Vardy and Leicester condemned them to a 2-1 defeat to end hopes of a third successive win.
Such is the pressure that arrives with being Manchester United’s manager.
Louis van Gaal is being forced to answer difficult questions even when his side are winning games.
After winning just one of their six matches in all competitions in October, United bounced back earlier this month by following a Champions League win over CSKA Moscow by beating West Brom 2-0 at Old Trafford to make it five clean sheets in a row.
Despite claiming the win, which leaves them just two points behind leaders, Manchester City, criticism of the team’s style and whether they can sustain this form throughout the season remains, with supporters expecting nothing less than a strong title challenge.
With high-flying Leicester separating them from Manchester City and Arsenal, it is clear that a battle is also on for a spot in the top four as in-form Tottenham Hotspur start the weekend just three points back in fifth spot.
The spotlight will remain on the club all season as Van Gaal continues to ignore the critics of his style, but the Dutchman will at least be happy with the form shown by Jesse Lingard, whose recent form was enough to earn him a place in the England squad.
It would be fair to say that United’s key players are still trying to find top form at the same time, but with the chance to pile the pressure on their rivals by moving top with a win in today’s early kickoff, the picture could look very different at the end of the weekend.
Watford possible starting lineup: Gomes, Nyom, Cathcart, Britos, Ake, Anya, Capoue, Watson, Abdi, Deeney, Ighalo.
Man U possible starting lineup: De Gea, Young, Smalling, Blind, Rojo, Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger, Mata, Herrera, Lingard, Rooney.