Premier League
Watford vs Arsenal Preview
New Watford boss Quique Sanchez Flores begins second spell against Arsenal.
- Date: Saturday, September 14, 2019
- Time: 11.30 a.m. (EST)
- Network: NBCSN
- Location: Watford, England
- Venue: Vicarage Road
- Capacity: 21,577
New Watford boss Quique Sanchez Flores begins his second spell in charge of The Hornets as they face Arsenal at Vicarage Road.
Earlier this week, Watford sacked Javi Gracia after a disappointing start to the season.
Last season’s FA Cup finalists have picked up just one point from their opening four Premier League games.
Despite the poor start, it was still a surprise to see Gracia get sacked so early into the new campaign. A bigger surprise was that they reappointed Quique Sanchez Flores who was sacked in 2016 to replace him.
For Arsenal, they are looking to get back to winning ways after picking up just one point from their last two games.
However, they will be encouraged by their comeback against Tottenham in the North London Derby. It is fair to say that they remain a work in progress under Unai Emery.
After two tough games against Liverpool and Tottenham, the Spanish manager will feel this is a chance to get back to winning ways. But they will be wary of playing a side with a new a manager who will be eager to impress.
Team News
Watford defender Craig Cathcart is out injured due to a muscle problem.
Striker Troy Deeney is still missing and recovering from knee surgery.
Meanwhile, Arsenal is missing striker Alexandre Lacazette who is out till October due to an ankle injury.
Defenders Hector Bellerin and Kieran Tierney have returned to full training but likely will not feature.
Watford vs Arsenal Previous Meetings
Watford has lost their last five of their last six Premier League games against Arsenal.
Last season, Arsenal won both meetings without conceding a goal.
If Watford lose, they would match a club record of five consecutive home league defeats in the Premier League.
Their last win against Arsenal came in October 2017, where goals from Troy Deeney and Tom Cleverley helped them comeback to win 2-1.
Predicted Line-Ups
Watford (3-4-2-1) Foster; Dawson, Kabasele, Cathcart; Janmaat, Doucoure, Cleverley, Femenia; Hughes, Pereyra; Gray
Arsenal (4-3-3) Leno; Maitland-Niles, Sokratis, Luiz, Kolasinac; Xhaka, Guendouzi, Willock; Pepe, Aubameyang, Ceballos.
Watford vs Arsenal Prediction
It has been a week of change at Watford with Javi Gracia being sacked and Quique Sanchez Flores replacing him.
Watford fans will be hoping it helps kick start what has been a poor start to the new league season.
Their form tailed off at the back end of last season and has carried on to the new campaign.
They are clearly missing Troy Deeney who was a key part of them reaching the FA Cup final in May.
Also, defensively they have struggled, conceding eight goals in four games.
Watford will be hoping they get a spring in their step under their new manager. However, things may get worse before they get better.
The Hornets’ next three games are at home against Arsenal and away games against Manchester City and Wolves.
Sanchez Flores will probably see this game as their best chance to earn their first league victory of the season.
For Arsenal, they will be looking to get back to winning ways. They will take heart from coming back from two goals down to rescue a point against Tottenham.
There are still issues defensively but going forward they have players who will cause teams problems.
New signings Dani Ceballos and Nicolas Pepe have been impressive. Unai Emery will know these are the games they have to win, if they want to reach the top four.
Arsenal should have too much quality up front to secure all three points. However, expect an improved performance from Watford under their new manager.
Prediction: Watford 1-2 Arsenal
Written by David Coates
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