Two sides still looking to secure their first wins in the 2015-16 Premier League season meet at Vicarage Road on Sunday when Southampton travel to Watford.
The top-flight newcomers have drawn their first two matches of the campaign, while the Saints have just one point from a possible six at this stage.
Watford
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Watford have made a solid if unspectacular start to the season, following up a 2-2 draw with Everton on the opening day of the season with a goalless stalemate against West Bromwich Albion last time out.
While the Hornets were unlucky not to secure the win in their first outing, conceding late on at Goodison Park, Quique Flores has praised his side's performance against the Baggies, despite the team creating few chances in the match.
The London side have been adding to their squad this week as they continue to strengthen the team following promotion from the Championship, bringing in former West Ham United player Alessandro Diamanti from Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande, while Nathan Ake joins from Chelsea.
Last season's top scorer, striker Troy Deeney, is yet to get off the mark in this campaign. He added 21 goals, including a hat-trick, to help the club secure a second-place finish and promotion from the second tier last season, and Flores has backed him to rediscover his form this season.
The fixture marks the start of a busy seven-day period for Watford, as they face a trip to Preston North End in the League Cup just days after this fixture, before going to Manchester City in the Premier League next Saturday.
While Flores is still a relative newcomer to English football, the Watford boss should be familiar with Ronald Koeman, as the Dutchman replaced the Spaniard after he was fired by Valencia in 2007.
Recent form: DLWDDD
Recent form (all competitions): WWLLDD
Southampton
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Ronald Koeman's side are yet to hit their stride in this campaign, following up a 2-2 draw with Newcastle United on the opening day of the season with a heavy 3-0 loss to Everton at St Mary's last time out, leaving the team 17th in the table.
Like Everton last season, the team's early-season struggles could be down to a busy schedule, as they have been in action in the qualifying rounds of the Europa League, having finished seventh in the table last season to qualify for the competition.
Their involvement in Europe is the reason this match was pushed back to Sunday, as Southampton were in action on Thursday night, sharing a 1-1 draw in their playoff first leg against Danish champions FC Midtjylland.
Despite having just one point from their first two matches, Southampton will not be too concerned that they are yet to win a match, having made an identical start last season. They went on to win their third match of the season, launching a four-game winning run.
However, the team's 6-1 win over Aston Villa in their penultimate outing last season remains their only victory in eight outings in the league, five losses coming in that string.
The transfer market continues to be a distraction for Koeman in the run-up to this match, as he has faced numerous questions on the future of Sadio Mane after the winger was linked with a move the Manchester United. However, the manager, who remains on crutches after rupturing his Achilles, has insisted that the Senegal international wants to stay at St Mary's.
Recent form: LLWLDL
Recent form (all competitions): WDWDLD
Team News
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The visitors will need to assess their squad following their Europa League involvement, but the team are yet to report any fresh injury concerns.
Mane is expected to be involved, despite transfer speculation linking him with a move away from the club, although a second game in three days may result in Jay Rodriguez being rested, as he continues to regain his match fitness following a year out with a knee injury.
Ryan Bertrand is still out with a knee injury, while summer signing Jordy Clasie is ruled out with a hamstring problem, and goalkeeper Fraser Forster is a long-term absentee with a serious knee issue.
Meanwhile, Flores could hand debuts to Diamanti and Ake following their arrivals at Vicarage Road this week, while Miguel Britos and Giedrius Arlauskis are still waiting to make their first appearances. Otherwise there is no new injury news from Watford ahead of this fixture.
Watford possible starting lineup:
Gomes, Nyom, Prodl, Cathcart, Anya, Capoue, Behrami, Layun, Ighalo, Diamante, Deeney
Southampton possible starting lineup:
Stekelenburg, Soares, Fonte, Yoshida, Targett, Davis, Wanyama, Romeu, Mane, Ward-Prowse, Pelle
Head To Head
This will be the first meeting between these two sides since the 2011-12 season, during which Southampton completed the double over this weekend's hosts, winning 4-0 at home before picking up a 3-0 win at Vicarage Road.
Southampton also have the better head-to-head record overall, winning 32 times and losing 25, while 17 previous meetings have resulted in draws, although Watford had a six-match winning run between 2003 and 2010.
The fixture has traditionally thrown up some rather unusual and lop-sided scorelines, with Southampton winning one tie 11-0 back in 1902, while Watford secured a 7-1 victory in 1980.
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Hit play below to see what the Sports Mole Sofa had to say about this encounter:
We say: Watford 0-1 Southampton
Watford are still settling into life in the top flight, and have not recaptured the high-scoring form that helped them secure their place in the Premier League for this season. While Southampton may be keen for a comfortable win to kick-start their season, their involvement in the Europa League will have an effect. However, they should have enough to secure the narrow victory.
Sian Cowper
