A pair of undefeated Championship sides will square off on Friday as Watford play host to Burnley at Vicarage Road in the third match of the season for both teams.
The Hornets managed to follow up a 1-0 victory in their opener versus Sheffield United by drawing West Bromwich Albion 1-1, while the Clarets scored early in the second half, drawing Luton Town by that same score.
Match preview
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After a solid opening to their campaign versus the Blades, we saw a Hornets team similar to the one that struggled mightily in the Premier League last season as they were dominated in possession by the Baggies (70%-30%) and were fortunate to walk away with a draw.
Last season, Rob Edwards guided Forest Green Rovers to the League Two title, and he will be tasked with bringing this side back into the top flight after their last spell lasted only one campaign.
As a former centre-back, Edwards will need to improve a defensive unit that conceded the third-most goals in the Premier League last season (77), while he will also have to find a way to reinvigorate the confidence of a side that went through three different managers in 2021-22.
In the early going, Edwards has been impressed with his team's commitment on the field, as there seems to be a lot more camaraderie already within this group, which we struggled to see in their previous campaign.
Being more aggressive on and off the ball will be a point of emphasis as they return home to face a team who finished with 12 more points than them in the previous Premier League campaign.
Another victory at Vicarage Road would match their entire total from last season, when they only managed to earn eight points at home.
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It is a transitional time for Burnley, who were able to stay in the top flight for several years despite a lack of funding when compared to most Premier League clubs.
Having made millions from selling several players during the summer transfer window, Vincent Kompany has been able to develop some solid early continuity with this group.
The former captain of Manchester City, who returned to England from Anderlecht, played in a system at the Etihad which was designed to maintain possession for long stretches.
In both of their domestic fixtures thus far, this team have managed to accumulate 70% of the ball or more, executing their new bosses' tactics relatively well.
The Belgian's philosophy is a sharp contrast to the Sean Dyche approach when they played primarily in a long-passing system, relying on speed from their front players, while maintaining a relatively consistent shape.
In only two matches, we have seen a Burnley side show plenty of creativity with multiple scoring opportunities in both games, beating Huddersfield Town 1-0 in their opener, before coming back against the Hatters.
Showing more quality in the final third is something Kompany has asked from his players moving forward, as they have only scored once in each of their games, despite all of their chances.
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Team News
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Ismaila Sarr scored his first of the campaign for the Hornets in their previous encounter, with Craig Cathcart collecting an assist, as Sarr and Joao Pedro are the only players with goals for them so far domestically, while Daniel Bachmann made three saves in their opening home fixture to collect his first clean sheet of the campaign.
Emmanuel Dennis is still searching for his first of the season after leading them with 10 goals in the top flight over the previous campaign, Mario Gaspar made his Hornets debut in their last match, replacing Hassane Kamara, while Rey Manaj, who came over on a free transfer from Barcelona this summer, has come off the substitutes bench in both of their domestic encounters thus far.
Imran Louza is out until late August because of an issue in his knee, while William Troost-Ekong saw his first action of the season on matchday two, replacing Francisco Sierralta for the final seven minutes plus stoppage time.
Josh Brownhill picked up his first goal of the new season for Burnley this weekend after Ian Maatsen had the only tally in their opening domestic fixture.
Maatsen, Charlie Taylor, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Connor Roberts made life relatively easy for Arijanet Muric, as the goalkeeper from Kosovo did not have to make a single save in their shutout victory versus Huddersfield.
Ashley Westwood will not be back until the end of the month at the earliest because of a broken ankle, and Johann Berg Gudmundsson could return in late August from his leg injury.
Watford possible starting lineup:
Bachmann; Cathcart, Troost-Ekong, Kabasele; Sema, Kayembe, Cleverley, Gosling; Pedro; Dennis, Sarr
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Muric; Roberts, Harwood-Bellis, Taylor, Maatsen; Brownhill, Cork, Cullen, Phillips; Benson, Barnes
We say: Watford 1-2 Burnley
These two teams have the same number of points, and are also tied when it comes to goals for and goals against, so this should be an even match featuring a pair of sides who were both relegated from the Premier League last season.
Burnley look a lot more comfortable under their new system, and we expect the Clarets' energy and aggressiveness will help them past the home side in this one, as Watford seem to be taking a little longer to develop some solid chemistry.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
