Watford vs Southampton
English Premier League
Date: Saturday, 4th March 2017
Kick off at 15:00 UK/ 16:00 CET
Venue: Venue: Vicarage Road (Watford).
Watford has been mercurial in their last six outings with two wins, three draws, and a loss. The team is currently settled in the 12th spot in the overall standings, nine points above the bottom three relegation area.
The Hornets are coming off a hard-fought 1-1 draw with a 10-man West Ham United squad also at their home ground of Vicarage Road last Saturday for their second consecutive winless game, as per The Guardian.
Watford striker Troy Deeney broke the game's deadlock early in the third minute with a converted penalty kick after a hard foul by West Ham midfielder Cheikhou Kouyaté on Argentine forward Mauro Zarate.
It looked like a win for head coach Walter Mazzarri's squad as time slowly ran out, but Hammers forward Andre Ayew found the equalizer in the 73rd minute. Both teams went scoreless for the rest of the match even as West Ham midfielder Michail Antonio was sent off on the 86th.
Meanwhile, Southampton's last Premier League fixture was back in Feb. 11, a 4-0 crushing of cellar-dwelling squad Sunderland on the road at the Stadium of Light, via SkySports.
Italian striker Manolo Gabbiadini netted a brace for head coach Claude Puel's side, scoring goals in the 30th and 45th minutes to give the Saints a 2-0 halftime lead.
An own goal by Sunderland defender Jason Denayer made it a 3-0 count in the 88th minute before Irish striker Shane Lone sealed the win with a stoppage-time goal, completing the visitors' four-goal haul.
The win snapped Southampton's two-game losing skid. The team is now in the 13th spot of the Premier League table, only one point behind Watford.
Prediction and Predicted Lineup
The predicted result is a 1-0 victory for Watford.
Watford starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): Gomes; Janmaat, Kaboul, Britos, Holebas; Capoue, Behrami, Cleverley; Niang, Deeney, Zarate
Southampton starting lineup (4-4-1-1 formation): Forster; Soares, Stephens, Yoshida, Bertrand; Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Davis, Redmond; Tadic; Gabbiadini
Watford vs Southampton: Head-to-head
The Saints are unbeaten in the last 6 matches against Watford with 3 wins and 3 draws.
Watford’s last win over Southampton has to be dated back to 2008 Championship season, which came away at the St. Mary’s.
The Hornets drew twice and lost in one of their last three home games against the Saints.
The corresponding meeting of the last season at the Vicarage Road was a goal-less draw.
The reverse leg of the current season at the St. Mary’s Stadium saw a 1-1 draw.
Watford vs Southampton: Prediction
This is a close match to call, but Watford have a slight edge over their opponents on current form. However, it is hard to write-off Southampton as they are looked like a team in confidence in the 4-0 win over Sunderland and 3-2 loss against Manchester United.
One of the biggest positives for the Saints is the goal-scoring form of Manolo Gabbiadini, who took his tally to 5 goals in 3 appearances with the double against United.
Watford, despite a good home record to boast about, have conceded goals in 10 of their 12 games this season. Therefore, both teams to score is our main pick of the match and will go with the correct score prediction of 1-1 at full-time.
Watford vs Southampton: Betting Tips
Both Teams to Score at 12/11 (2.05)
Correct FT Score- 1-1 at 6/1 (7.00).
