Big Match Breakdown: Watford v Manchester United
Published:
This could be a tough trip for United
Manchester United will be looking to keep up the pressure on Manchester City when they travel to Watford on Wednesday night.
United trail their neighbours by eight points and can’t afford to lose any further ground. But they’ll need to earn three points against an impressive Watford team at Vicarage Road.
Marco Silva’s side have already beaten Arsenal and drawn with Liverpool at home this season. They’ll fancy their chances against United, who’ve not been at their best recently.
Here’s the Coral News Team with a preview of the big game…
Head to Head
Watford won this fixture 3-1 last year but that was an exception to the recent history between these two clubs. United have come out on top in all 12 other meetings since 1987.
The Manchester club haven’t been in great form lately. They’ve lost two of their last four games in all competitions. And they were fortunate to beat Brighton & Hove Albion 1-0 after a poor display last weekend.
Watford are currently eighth in the table. They’ve impressed with five goals and none conceded in their two most recent games.
Likely XIs
Troy Deeney is available again after suspension but it would be a surprise if Silva didn’t stick with Richarlison in support of Andre Grey up front.
Sebastian Prodl and Roberto Pereyra could come in to keep things fresh during a hectic schedule though.
Jose Mourinho is also likely to make some changes with a game against Arsenal coming on Saturday.
Marouane Fellaini and Henrikh Mkhitaryan haven’t travelled but Marcos Rojo, Matteo Darmian, and Jesse Lingard could all feature.
Key Battles
Richarlison has been Watford’s standout player this season but he’s not their only threat. Newcastle United couldn’t handle Marvin Zeegelaar’s runs down the left last weekend. Will Hughes has scored two goals from midfield in the last two games as well.
If United click, they’ve got enough quality to beat any side. But they’ve plodded their way through recent games.
If they’re not on it, Watford could take full advantage.
Match Odds
There’s little value in a United win here. But there’s the chance of an upset, which makes Watford at 5/4 in the Double Chance market look tempting.
Romelu Lukaku leads the Scorer markets at 16/5 as First Scorer and 21/20 Anytime. But backing Zlatan Ibrahimovic could be a smart call. The veteran is nearing full fitness and is 10/3 as Last Scorer.
For Watford, Richarlison is 13/5 to score Anytime.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
