MX23RW : Tuesday, March 19 07:24:41| >> :600:348464:348464:
[monks data]
Watford logo
Premier League | Gameweek 34
Jul 7, 2020 at 6pm UK
Vicarage Road Stadium
Norwich logo
Watford
2 - 1
Norwich
Dawson (10'), Welbeck (55')
Hughes (23'), Cleverley (90+5')
FT(HT: 1-1)
Buendia (4')
Lewis (9'), Tettey (11'), Godfrey (88'), Buendia (90+4')

Preview: Watford vs. Norwich City - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Tuesday's Premier League showdown between Watford and Norwich City, including team news and predicted lineups.

A battle between two relegation rivals will ensue in the Premier League on Tuesday evening as Watford play host to Norwich City at Vicarage Road.

The hosts go into the game one point above the relegation zone in 17th, whereas Norwich are seven points adrift of safety at this late stage of the campaign.


Match preview

Watford manager Nigel Pearson pictured on June 25, 2020© Reuters

Watford were always going to be facing an uphill battle against a Champions League-chasing Chelsea side at the weekend, and it was the Blues who took the spoils at Stamford Bridge despite a valiant start from Nigel Pearson's Watford.

Goals from Olivier Giroud, Willian and Ross Barkley condemned Watford to their third defeat in succession, although Aston Villa's failure to beat Liverpool on Sunday means that the Hornets remain teetering just above the bottom three in 17th at this stage.

However, despite their problematic position near the foot of the table, Pearson's side have only lost twice on home soil since December, and the Hornets have enjoyed victories against Manchester United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool at Vicarage Road this season.

As per usual, the relegation battle is expected to go right down to the wire, and with Watford's final two fixtures coming against Manchester City and Arsenal, getting three points on the board against a struggling Norwich side will be of paramount importance to Pearson this Tuesday.

Norwich City boss Daniel Farke on June 24, 2020© Reuters

Meanwhile, Norwich supporters would have been forgiven for thinking that their side had a chance of taking all three points against Brighton & Hove Albion, but as has been the case throughout their Premier League season, the Canaries ultimately came up short at Carrow Road.

Leandro Trossard's deft finish ensured that the Seagulls travelled back to the South Coast with all three points - a result which leaves Norwich firmly rooted to the bottom of the table with five games left to play.

The Canaries are yet to register a point on the board since the restart and have now lost their last six games in all competitions, and barring a miraculous turnaround in the final few weeks, Daniel Farke will have to prepare for an immediate return to the second tier.

Following Villa's 2-0 loss to Liverpool on Sunday, Norwich currently sit seven points adrift of safety after 33 matches, and the Canaries have only amassed six points on the road all season heading into the clash with Watford.

Furthermore, Farke's men have only found the back of the net once on their travels since the turn of the year, and the Premier League's basement side still have fixtures against Chelsea, Burnley and Manchester City to contend with as they look to pull off an improbable escape from the relegation zone.

Goals from Gerard Deulofeu and Andre Gray gave Watford a 2-0 win at Carrow Road earlier in the season.

Watford Premier League form: WLDLLL

Norwich City Premier League form: WLLLLL
Norwich City form (all competitions): LLLLLL


Team News

Roberto Pereyra celebrates scoring during the Premier League game between Watford and Arsenal on September 15, 2019© Reuters

Watford have no fresh injury concerns heading into the midweek clash, although Deulofeu, Isaac Success and Daryl Janmaat are all injured.

Gray returned to the bench against Chelsea after missing out against Southampton following an alleged breach of lockdown rules, while Danny Welbeck is unlikely to be risked from the off.

Craig Cathcart and Roberto Pereyra had to settle for a place amongst the substitutes at Chelsea but the pair could return to the starting XI for the visit of Norwich.

Norwich are expected to welcome back Teemu Pukki to the starting lineup, with the Finnish striker only making the bench against Brighton.

However, Todd Cantwell is struggling with a thigh problem and may be forced to miss out again, while Kenny McLean and Alexander Tettey are minor doubts with ankle and knee injuries respectively.

Christoph Zimmermann is back in training but is not expected to play a part before the season is over, while Grant Hanley, Sam Byram and Moritz Leitner all remain on the treatment table.

Watford possible starting lineup:
Foster; Mariappa, Cathcart, Dawson, Masina; Hughes, Chalobah; Sarr, Doucoure, Pereyra; Deeney

Norwich City possible starting lineup:
Krul; Aarons, Godfrey, Klose, Lewis; McLean, Tettey; Buendia, Duda, Hernandez; Pukki


Sports Mole Logo

We say: Watford 2-1 Norwich City

With both clubs fighting for their right to play in the top level of English football next season, something has to give. Even though Watford do not inspire much confidence, Norwich have been abysmal on the road this season and we are backing the hosts to boost their survival bid and take all three points in midweek.



ID:405285: cacheID:405285:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:10493:

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Watford win with a probability of 48.72%. A win for Norwich City had a probability of 26.12% and a draw had a probability of 25.1%.

The most likely scoreline for a Watford win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.05%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.41%) and 2-0 (8.7%). The likeliest Norwich City win was 0-1 (7.6%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.96%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 9.4% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Watford would win this match.


Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Watford boss Nigel Pearson on February 1, 2020
Read Next:
Nigel Pearson confident Watford will survive this season
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Leeds UnitedLeeds38257670284282
2Leicester CityLeicester37264774334182
3Ipswich TownIpswich38249580493181
4Southampton36227773472673
5West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom381991059362366
6Norwich CityNorwich381871369541561
7Hull City371610115346758
8Coventry CityCoventry3715121059431657
9Preston North EndPreston37168134954-556
10Middlesbrough38166165352154
11Cardiff CityCardiff38165174351-853
12Sunderland38146184845348
13Watford381212145351248
14Bristol City38138174245-347
15Swansea CitySwansea381210164858-1046
16Millwall381110173650-1443
17Blackburn RoversBlackburn38119185164-1342
18Plymouth ArgylePlymouth381011175462-841
19Stoke CityStoke38118193553-1841
20Queens Park RangersQPR381010183650-1440
21Birmingham CityBirmingham38109194259-1739
22Huddersfield TownHuddersfield38815154261-1939
23Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds38115223061-3138
24Rotherham UnitedRotherham38311243077-4720

Subscribe to our newsletter


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!