3rd February 2016 Kickoff: 1945hrs
Watford v Chelsea
Football – England – Premier League
Both of these clubs enjoyed successes in the fourth round of the FA Cup at the weekend, and considering the league position of Watford and Chelsea, that competition may well be the on that takes more of each of their focus in the remaining months. The two are unlikely to be threatened with relegation whilst qualifying for Europe via their league position also looks beyond them. Nevertheless, attention does switch back to the Premier League on Wednesday as they go head-to-head for the second time in the space of six weeks.
Watford have went quietly about their business since winning promotion to the top-flight last season. Following some controversy about the sacking of the man who got them there, Slavisa Jokanovic, for current head coach Quique Sanchez Flores during the summer, there was a bit if discord amongst the supporters. Fast forward seven months and the new man has most certainly one the fans, and the players, over. Sitting comfortably in tenth position at the time of writing, the Hornets have already amassed nine wins which has left them 11 points clear of the bottom three. Whilst not completely out of trouble, it would be a major surprise to see them dragged into the relegation scrap. The recent win over Newcastle in the league, which halted a run of four straight defeats has given them some extra breathing space.
Chelsea’s incredible demise has been well documented over the last six months, and whilst they have a lot of work left to do to repair the damage, consecutive wins over Arsenal in the league and MK Dons in the FA Cup will have left the players, support and coaching staff must better about themselves. The two wins could barely have come in different circumstances, as they showed great discipline and organisation to grind out a 1-0 win at the Emirates before opening up and playing some delightful football in the 5-1 thrashing at Milton Keynes. Star of the shoe on the occasion was Oscar who grabbed a first-half hat-trick whilst, incredibly, Eden Hazard helped himself to his first goal of the season, scoring from the penalty spot.
There’s no doubting who has been the key duo in Watford’s season thus far. As good as the likes of Etienne Capoue and Ben Watson have been in the midfield, the strike partnership of Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo has been formidable, and both look as though they have played at this level for many years. Combining for 20 goals in the league already, the influence that the two have had cannot be underestimated. It’s difficult to imagine other teams are not looking on with a view to testing Watford’s resolve in the summer. Ighalo has scored 14 goals alone and whilst Deeney may have more of an emotional attachment as club captain, the Nigerian could well be one of the most sought after strikers in the league.
John Terry dropped a bombshell following the win over MK Dons on Sunday, by revealing that the Chelsea will not be renewing his contract when it expires at the end of the season. The central defender has been a mainstay of the club for just shy of two decades but it appears he will not finish his career at Stamford Bridge. Guus Hiddink has come out since and suggested it is not completely out the question that Terry remains at Chelsea beyond the summer, however it’s unlikely to concern the Dutch coach who is likely to depart, too. Terry will not be affected by the news and will continue to give his all as he tries to lead his team to some sort of success, this season.
Watford v Chelsea Betting Tips
The last time these two met it turned into a very decent game as they shared four goals at Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day. It was a fair result and an indication that there wasn’t much between the two for much of the first half of the season. Chelsea appear to have sorted themselves somewhat, going by their recent performances, but they still remain four points behind tomorrow night’s opponents, and they know they will be in for a game at Vicarage Road.
Watford have been very competitive at home against the top teams this season, running both Manchester clubs and Tottenham very close, whilst brushing aside Liverpool back in December. Arsenal are the only side to have given them something of a doing so they will be confidence of putting up another good show against the current champions. Chelsea have been much more solid on the road in recent weeks, keeping three clean sheets in their last three league games.
I think this could be another very entertaining London derby between these two with plenty of technically gifted players on show. Watford can play with a certain amount of freedom thanks to their current position whilst Chelsea look full of confidence at the moment. United, City, Tottenham and Liverpool have all failed to keep clean sheets at this ground which is not entirely surprising considering the strike power that Watford possess. They’ve scored in eight of their last ten home games and I fancy them to extend that run here. The form Chelsea are in, however, I fully expect Chelsea to get on the score sheet, too.
