Watford vs. Bournemouth
Venue: Vicarage Road
Kick off: 4pm
Last season’s automatically-promoted duo face off on Saturday (today) at Vicarage Road as Watford host Bournemouth in the Premier League.
While Bournemouth are still scrapping near the drop zone, Watford’s impressive first season in the top flight means that they sit pretty in the top half with 12 games of the campaign to go.
After winning for just the second time in nine league games against Crystal Palace two weeks ago, Watford then reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the first time in nine years last weekend.
Struggling Championship side, Leeds United, were the visitors and although the Whites brought a sizeable away following, they did not cause Watford any problems and in the end Scott Wootton’s comical own goal was enough to send the Hornets through to the last eight.
One of the main reasons for this is strike duo Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney going off the boil a little; between them the pair have managed only five goals in Watford’s last 10 matches.
The Cherries pipped Watford to the Championship title in a dramatic finale last season, but they have been second-best to the Hornets in the big time this term.
Eddie Howe’s side come into this match having lost three games in a row, all of which were at home and the last being a 2-0 defeat to Everton in the Cup last weekend.
One thing Bournemouth tend to do is start well; the Cherries have scored more goals in the opening 15 minutes of matches than any other team in the top flight (8).
Watford possible starting lineup: Gomes, Nyom, Britos, Cathcart, Ake, Watson, Capoue, Suarez; Abdi, Deeney, Ighalo.
Bournemouth possible starting lineup: Boruc, Francis, Elphick, Cook, Daniels, Surman, Gosling, Arter, Ritchie, Stanislas, Afobe.