Watford v Leicester City Preview : Hornets Looking to Shock the Foxes

Last Updated : 16th June, 2020 By Steve A

VENUE

Vicarage Road, Watford

TIME

Saturday 20 June 12.30pm

BROADCAST

Live on BT Sport

See Stats

Watford will be keeping a close eye on the Aston Villa v Sheffield United game on Wednesday. If Villa get a win, then Watford will drop into the bottom three. They face a tough home game this weekend as they host Leicester City who are third in the Premier League.

Hornets Battling for Survival

Watford have been in trouble all season but their fans must be rather puzzled. Their beloved side has put in some great performances resulting in wins over Liverpool, Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers at home  That's three of the top six at time of writing but they are still in deep relegation trouble. 

The fact that Watford didn't win their first league game until November meant a struggle to stay up was always going to happen. That victory over Norwich City was followed by a run of just one point from the next five. The arrival of Nigel Pearson as boss saw improvement that gave them hope of surviving. A 2-0 home win over Manchester United breathed life into the Hornets. This time they did build on a good result and the next five games produced 11 crucial points. 

Then it started to go wrong again with a vital loss at Villa. More heartbreak followed as they led Everton 2-0 at home, only to lose 3-2. How vital might that be at the end of the season? Only one of their last seven league games has been won, but what a win!  They ended the unbeaten Liverpool unbeaten record, so if they can do that, surely they can stay up?

Leicester Need to Get Back on Track

Leicester City began the season well and another title challenge looked on the cards. There's not going to be a second Premier League title for them but another season in the Champions League looks more than likely. They resume their season in third place, just the 29 points behind leaders Liverpool. Only four points separate them from second-placed Manchester City at the time of writing but it could well be seven if City beat Arsenal on Wednesday. 

Finishing in the top four will suit Leicester very nicely indeed. They have a five-point lead over Chelsea in fourth but City do need to improve their 2020 form. Only one of their last five league games has ended in victory, a 4-0 home win over Aston Villa. That ended a run of two points from four games but they are in the last eight of the FA Cup, so they will have a lot to keep them busy over the coming weeks. They will be hoping for more goals from Jamie Vardy to keep them on track.

Away form has seen them win seven Premier League games this season, only the top two have won more. The last three though have only seen them earn a single point. They have an eight-point lead over Manchester United in fifth and ten ahead of Wolves in sixth. Two or three wins from their last nine league fixtures should see them confirm their top four place, a great achievement for them this season. This won't be easy though with Watford desperate for points. A bet on both teams scoring looks the one to place.