Tottenham Hotspur's pursuit of Premier League leaders Chelsea will continue when they welcome Watford to White Hart Lane on Saturday afternoon.
Five straight league wins has kept Spurs in the title hunt with eight games left, although Mauricio Pochettino's side are still seven points behind the table-topping Blues at the business end of the campaign.
Tottenham
© SilverHub
Tottenham will go in search of their sixth straight Premier League victory when they welcome Watford to White Hart Lane this weekend, and there is no question that another three points are required if Pochettino's side are to stand a chance of lifting the Premier League title this season.
Spurs' title ambitions looked to be in tatters when they trailed into the final two minutes of their clash with Swansea City on Wednesday night, but the London side turned things around in the final moments to record a 3-1 win.
The capital outfit are now five points clear of third-placed Liverpool with a game in hand, although they still trail league leaders Chelsea by seven points, and that looks to be a tough gap to overcome with just eight games of the season left.
Spurs' away form had been called into question in recent weeks, but they have beaten Burnley and Swansea on the road in their last two Premier League fixtures to move onto 65 points. They will be glad to return to White Hart Lane this weekend, however, due to their incredible home form.
Indeed, Pochettino's side have won 13 and drawn two of their 15 home Premier League matches this season, scoring 35 times and conceding just eight. They have been almost untouchable on home soil, and the supporters will be expecting another victory this weekend as a busy April continues to tick on.
In terms of what is ahead for Spurs, they will welcome Bournemouth in their next Premier League fixture after this one, before the small matter of an FA Cup semi-final against title rivals Chelsea on April 22. They will then travel to Crystal Palace in the top flight, before ending the month at home to bitter rivals Arsenal.
Tottenham will be wary of what happened in the final weeks of last season – where second spot was ultimately snatched away – but they are well-placed to finish as runners-up this term. That would be another big step in the right direction as Pochettino looks to ultimately build a title-winning team.
Recent form: LWWWWW
Recent form (all competitions): WWWWWW
Watford
© SilverHub
It has been an up-and-down season for Watford, although back-to-back home wins has seen the Hornets ease fears that they would be dragged into a relegation battle in the final weeks of the campaign.
Indeed, six points from their last two Premier League matches has seen Walter Mazzarri's side move into 10th position in the table, with 37 points leaving them nine points clear of the relegation zone. They are not quite safe at this stage, but it would take some collapse from this position to drop out of the division.
Between February 4 and March 18, Watford only won once in the league, and they started last month with back-to-back defeats against Southampton and Crystal Palace. At that point, the club were dropping further into trouble, leaving Mazzarri with questions to answer ahead of a decisive April.
Successive home matches against Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion were always going to be important, and they followed a 1-0 win over Sunderland last weekend with a 2-0 success against the Baggies on Tuesday night.
Watford have now won seven home Premier League fixtures this season, which is more than Manchester United (6) have managed. Worryingly, however, the Hornets have lost eight of their 14 away matches in the top flight, scoring just 12 times in the process, which is among the poorest records in the division.
After facing Tottenham, Watford have two more big matches at home to Swansea and away to Hull, before welcoming Liverpool to Vicarage Road at the start of next month. Their last three fixtures are also extremely tough, facing trips to Leicester City and Everton, before hosting Manchester City on May 21.
The omens are not exactly great for Watford this weekend, having lost their last six league visits to Tottenham since a 5-1 win in May 1985. They will enter this match in decent form, however, and knowing that a win would move them, at least temporarily, into the top half of the table.
Recent form: LDLLWW
Team News
© SilverHub
Hugo Lloris missed the 3-1 win over Swansea on Wednesday night through illness, but the Frenchman is expected to return to the XI this weekend, which will see Michel Vorm drop to the bench.
Netherlands international Vincent Janssen is also pushing for a starting role after impressing off the bench in Wales, which could see Moussa Sissoko dropped to the bench, and Son Heung-min moved into a wider position.
Harry Kane, Danny Rose, Erik Lamela, Harry Winks and Victor Wanyama remain on the sidelines, however, leaving Pochettino with few senior options when it comes to rotating his squad this weekend.
As for Watford, Miguel Britos will miss out after picking up a red card against West Brom on Tuesday night, which could see Craig Cathcart switch to central defence, allowing Daryl Janmaat to return at right-back.
Younes Kaboul, Valon Behrami and Ben Watson are still on the sidelines for the Hornets, but Mazzarri is hopeful that Sebastian Prodl will shake off the rib injury that he suffered against the Baggies last time out.
Spurs possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Walker, Alderweireld, Vertongthen, Davies; Dier, Dembele; Eriksen, Alli, Son; Janssen
Watford possible starting lineup:
Gomes; Janmaat, Cathcart, Prodl, Holebas; Niang, Cleverley, Doucoure, Capoue, Amrabat; Deeney
Head To Head
Saturday will be the 43rd meeting between the two teams in all competitions. It is Tottenham that lead the head-to-head 27 wins to Watford's seven, while the remaining eight fixtures have finished all square.
Tottenham have actually never lost in the Premier League against Watford, winning five of their seven encounters. Meanwhile, Watford have lost on their last six league visits to White Hart Lane since a 5-1 win in May 1985.
In terms of recent history, Tottenham recorded a 1-0 victory in the corresponding clash during the 2015-16 campaign, while Pochettino's side ran out 4-1 winners at Vicarage Road when the pair met on New Year's Day.
We say: Tottenham 1-0 Watford
Watford will enter the match full of confidence following back-to-back wins, but Tottenham have been so impressive at White Hart Lane this season. We are not expecting a match full of goals and major incidents, but feel that Spurs will just about have enough to edge their way to another vital three points.
Matt Law
