Watford vs Arsenal: Preview and Prediction

Sunday 15th September 2019

England Premier League
Sunday 15th September 2019
Kick off at 4.30pm BST
Venue: Vicarage Road

Match Preview:

The big news at Watford was the sacking of Javi Gracia after just 4 games of the new season. The board acted as Watford are bottom of the league with 3 defeats and one draw and given their back end form last season, that seems to have been the final straw. The surprise is his replacement Quique Sanchez Flores who has returned to the club. He has a big ask returning for this game and the week after Watford have to play Manchester City.

The Hornets have lost to Everton, West Ham and Brighton this season and the only positive was a 1-1 draw against Newcastle in their last game. Can Flores get the teams mentality together at Vicarage Road to cause Arsenal problems, that is the key question?

Arsenal have faltered since winning their first two games, losing to Liverpool and then drawing 2-2 against Tottenham. Although one could argue that they have just played the two finalists of last seasons Champions League final and that order should be restored against Watford.

The Gunners have a good team but their defence seems leaky and it feels as though they are missing one or two more experienced players. But it is games like this that could go a long way to seeing if Unai Emery will be a success at Arsenal. Consistency will be key, and the fans will be looking for a win here.

Team News:

Watford: Etienne Capoue should be back in the squad after an illness. Craig Cathcart has a thigh injury and won’t be back until the end of the month. Michail Antonio has a hamstring injury and could be out for the rest of the year and Troy Deeny won’t be back until at least the end of October

Arsenal: Joe Willock has a calf strain but is expected to be fine for inclusion in the squad. Alexandre Lacazette is out until mid October with an ankle injury.

Watford vs Arsenal Head to Head:

Arsenal have won the last 3 meetings in a row.

Last season this fixture ended 1-0 to Arsenal.

There is an 80% chance to see over 2.5 goals.

There has never been a 0-0 result in 113 years of matches between the two sides.

Watford vs Arsenal Prediction:

Usually a new manager coming in freshens the rot up and gives more confidence and stability to a team but Watford might have made what the French say faux pas, a big mistake in bringing back Flores. His record was not good with the club and this could be the same song being played again. Arsenal easily have the better team, and there should be no excuses here. The club have their limits which were exposed by Liverpool, but otherwise look like a strong team. There is a worry that new signing Nicolas Pepe hasn’t scored yet, at £72m fans would have been expecting that but the Gunners have more than enough in the tank to get the job done here, if not this could end up being a long season for them as well as Watford who could still be doomed.

Watford vs Arsenal Betting Tips:

Arsenal to beat Watford at 2.00

Correct Score: Arsenal to win 2-0 or 3-0 at 13.00 and 19.00