Tag: Watford

Watford Look for Redemption in Mid-Table Clash

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Southampton, fresh from their EFL final loss to Man United last Sunday, travel to Watford for this mid-table clash.

Watford

After a turbulent run of form over the festive period, leading some to ask whether they might be dragged into the relegation dogfight, Watford are looking all but safe with 31 points, 9 points clear of the zone. Walter Mazzarri will be looking to capitalise on a light February schedule of only 3 games, and a run of fixtures against Southampton, Palace and Sunderland in March to pick up the points needed to put any question of relegation to bed for the season. The Italian will also want to make amends for last Saturday’s somewhat disappointing result against West Ham, having led from 3 minutes in and against ten men, they went on to concede a goal and the win in the last quarter of the match.

The big news for Watford is new signing Mauro Zarate picking up a cruciate ligament injury, putting him out of action until August. They will also be without first choice keeper Costel Pantilimon, Nordin Amrabat, Roberto Pereyra. Daryl Janmaat and Christian Kabasele are both in doubt.

Southampton

A terrific performance against United in the EFL final last weekend saw the Saints come within 5 minutes of extra time, having brought the game back from 2:0 down, with a goal unfairly ruled out, Southampton will be justifiably devastated with the outcome. They will have to put the result out of their heads and concentrate on recreating some of their great play from the final for the game against Watford.

Sitting a point behind Watford, Southampton are 8 points above the relegation zone in 13th place, but having dropped out of every other competition they will be able to focus everything they have on their league finish; 14 points is an all but impossible gap between them and Everton in the Europa League spots. The EFL fixture brought some confusion to the scheduling, but they will likely have to play Arsenal, Tottenham and United again in the next month or so. Picking up 3 points in this game would be important insulation going into a tough run.

Claude Puel has a few long term injuries to contend with, Matthew Targett, Charlie Austin and Virgil Van Dijk all scheduled to return next month. Jeremy Pied and Alex McCarthy are both lacking match fitness after long absences.

The value

Looking at the head to head stats, there doesn’t seem to be much between the two. The corresponding fixture in August at St Mary’s ended 1:1. Last season saw them draw 0:0 and Southampton win 2:0 at home. You would have to go back to 2008 to see Watford beat Southampton.

Overall, I would be somewhat wary of picking a winner in this game and am instead looking to the goal markets. The last 5 Southampton games have seen over 2.5 goals, and 4/5 of Watford’s last premier league home games have seen both teams score. Bet 365 have BTTS at 19/20, and Bet Victor have Over 2.5 at 13/10, both of which seem to be good value.

Man United vs. Watford – Return of the Giant Slayers

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

This Saturday sees Manchester United entertaining a resurgent Watford, and Walter Mazzari will be eager for a repeat of last week’s shock win against Arsenal at the Emirates. United are unbeaten in the league since October and are looking to preserve that run.

Man United

Coming off the back of 3 consecutive league draws, Sunday’s win away against Champions Leicester came as welcome relief for the United faithful. An impressive display from Mourinho’s men, if somewhat emphasised by Leicester’s complete lack of quality, sees them keep pace with the pack chasing 4th place. Currently sitting in 6th with 45 points, they are only 5 points behind Tottenham in second place; both Liverpool and Arsenal’s campaigns have fallen into disarray, and United now have a solid chance of claiming a Champions League spot next year. Their last Premier League loss was 4:0 against Chelsea in October, at a time when many were writing them off and declaring Mourinho to be past it. Since then, United have rallied under the Portuguese, quietly consolidating themselves into a position where they can mount a challenge on 4th place.

Watford

Watford had gone 7 league games without a win when they were dumped out of the FA Cup by League 1 Millwall. After that particularly poor performance, many were asking whether Watford would backslide into the expanding relegation fight. Their quality shone through against Arsenal, however, and they followed it up with a home win against Burnley. With 8 points in 4 games pushing them up to 10th, Watford is looking to be pretty much safe from the drop, bar a really shocking decline of form.

Head to Head

These two teams have played each other 3 times in recent years, United winning both games last season. This season, Watford have the opportunity to do the double against the Manchester giants, as the corresponding fixture at Vicarage Road in September saw Watford win 3:1, a game that brought as many plaudits down on Watford as harsh criticisms of United. Mourinho will be keen to avenge that result and score a victory against Mazzari, a man he once called “a hard working donkey” who would “never become a thoroughbred”. Mazzari will be eager to slay two giants in two weeks and get another one up on an old rival from Serie A.

Injuries

Marcos Rojo, Phill Jones and Timothy Fosu-Mensah are all in doubt for Saturday, and Wayne Rooney is currently suffering from an illness. For Watford, Costel Pantilimon, Christian Kabesele, Robert Pereya and Nordin Amrabat will all likely miss the game.

The Value

Despite Watford’s improving form and capacity for beating the top teams, I expect United to wear them down over 90 minutes. Dropping home points against Hull will be fresh in Mourinho’s mind and he won’t want to let it happen again here, and they will be all the warier after that defeat all those months ago. At 2/9 on Bet365, there is really very little value in backing a straight home win, but United to Win and BTTS/No at 2/1 might be worth a go.

Watford does have the potential to cause an upset, however, and backing them on a Double Chance at 5/2 with William Hill could be worth a pop.

Can Arsenal Stay in Title Contention?

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Arsenal are just about in the title race….just! They trail leaders Chelsea by eight points. Whilst that lead is far from insurmountable, it does look increasingly likely that Arsenal will drop more points than Chelsea between now and the climax of the season. Arsenal almost blew it at home to Burnley in their previous home fixture. It took a penalty seven minutes into stoppage time from Alexis Sanchez to rescue all three points for the Gunners.

This story has a familiar ring to it from previous seasons. Arsenal is simply too error-prone when it comes to dropping points in games where they shouldn’t.

Arsenal Can Close the Gap

On Tuesday, Arsenal entertains Watford on the same evening that leaders Chelsea travel to Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp has seen his Liverpool side suffer a dip in form since the start of the year but they are still tough to beat at home. This is a great chance for Arsenal to show their fans that they have what it takes to win the title.

The pundits and experts don’t rate Arsenal’s chances when it comes to winning the league. They let a huge opportunity slip last season when Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea all had mediocre seasons by their standards. Yet Arsenal still couldn’t land the title, which is proving to be more and more elusive season by season. While the Gunners have been picking up points of late, their Achilles Heel is in defence.

Papering Over the Cracks

Arsenal came from three goals down to draw 3-3 away at Bournemouth which was a great fight back and showed tremendous spirit and grit. The main problem was that they were three goals down in the first place. Arsene Wenger will be serving a touchline ban after being punished for his outburst at the fourth official during their home game with Burnley.

That shouldn’t prevent Arsenal from taking the game to Watford who are resilient but nothing special. Arsenal can be backed at 1-4 with Stan James but there appears to be little value in those odds. Watford is a best-priced 14-1 with BetVictor while you can get 6-1 for the draw also with BetVictor.

Given that Arsenal is likely to score at home coupled with how dodgy they are in defence, the odds for both teams to score may prove better value. You can get even money with Stan James for both Arsenal and Watford to find the net. Having a bet on the correct score may also be a good choice. BetVictor offer odds of 9-1 on a 2-1 Arsenal victory and that bet may be worth a flutter as is the 13-1 on offer for a 1-1 draw.

Watford vs. Tottenham: New Year, New Spurs

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While half of the UK will be waking up on January 1 feeling as though they’ve just taken a wayward Harry Kane penalty to the side of the head, Tottenham’s finest will be heading to Watford’s Vicarage Road.

Forming part of a New Year’s Day double-header, Watford vs. Tottenham looks as though it will gift the latter with a positive start to 2017. With the post-Christmas festivities being kind to Spurs, the bookies are all in agreement that an away win is where the odds will lay heading into this one.

Tottenham Finding their Form

Thanks to a 4-1 drubbing of Southampton, Mauricio Pochettino’s men will be on a high and the odds makers at Sun Bets have responded in kind by setting their win line at 4/6. Although Watford is far from sitting ducks at 4/1, the fact you can get a better price on a draw (14/5) than a home win would suggest The Hornets have it all to do on Sunday.

In fact, to make matters worse for Walter Mazzarri and the Hertfordshire side, Boxing Day’s 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace was a disappointing result. Despite Watford’s relative success so far this season (10th after 18 games), the performance against Palace left a lot to be desired. Maybe Palace was buoyed by the appointment of new manager Sam Allardyce, maybe they were full of cheer, but after 30 minutes they certainly didn’t look like a side that has only managed four wins this season.

Although Palace began to fade as the match wore on, Watford wasn’t able to assert much dominance and it was only by the grace of a penalty that they managed to sneak a draw. Now, to completely discount the performance by Palace would be harsh, but the reality is that Watford made them look good and if that happens when Tottenham come calling it could be a long 90 minutes.

Spurs’ Strike Rate on the Up

Spurs haven’t been a goal machine this season, but they proved they’ve got the firepower to score by putting four past Southampton. Has something clicked up front? Quite possibly, and if it has then the league leaders should be worried. As it stands, the London club has only conceded 13 this season and if they can combine this with more goals, they’ll become a very tough side to beat.

Unfortunately for Watford, they may be taking on Tottenham at the worst time possible. With a glut of goals distinctly possible, William Hill’s “Tottenham to win by 2 or more goals” bet at 9/4 could be good value. Although punters have been reluctant to speculate on goal bets when it comes to Tottenham this season, the Southampton win has certainly changed the tide and opened up the market.

There Will be Goals, But Don’t Go Crazy

Indeed, if you really fancy the likes of Kane and Dele Alli to hit the target on January 1, you can currently get 28/1 with Coral that Tottenham will clinch another 4-1 away win. Now, the chances of a repeat score line are probably quite low, so the smart money in this instance would probably be over 2.5 goals. Coral will give you 19/20 on this while Sun Bets’ team has pitched it at 10/11.

Although it would be unwise to completely write off Watford in this game, a draw would seem to be the only likely alternative outcome. If we accept that as a reality, it then becomes a matter of how many goals will Spurs win by? Given their current strike rate (just under two goals per game) and goals conceded, 2-0 (7/1 at William Hill) would be a strong bet for this New Year’s Day showdown.

Watford vs Everton: A Close One Tough to Call

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Saturday lunchtime kick-off in the Premier League features Watford against Everton. While this isn’t one of the stellar Premier League fixtures, it does present a very interesting betting opportunity. Both clubs have had a decent start to the season. Watford under new coach Walter Mazzari have done very well and have 18pts from their first 14 games. If they continue that points per game ratio, that should see them safe with several games to spare.

The problem is that the Premier League isn’t as simple as that. Many smaller clubs have done well in the first half of the season and then really struggled after Christmas. Watford was forced into a managerial change that they didn’t really want to make last season. You have to give some serious credit to Walter Mazzari for steadying what appeared to be a very rocky ship.

The Strength to Survive

Watford clearly has the players to perform in the top league. They achieved a creditable 13th place in their first year back in the top flight last season. Everton too has had a turbulent time. Moving from David Moyes to Roberto Martinez and now to Ronald Koeman in such a short space of time has been difficult. You have to give Everton some credit as well because they haven’t been in serious trouble in any of that time. They currently sit in 8th place on 20pts and are looking at yet another solid season.

Everton travels to Watford this weekend with both clubs experiencing recent mixed results. They have only won once in their previous six combined matches. So both teams need a win, and both managers will know that a bad run of results could be waiting for them just around the corner.

Great Value Bets

This is a really tough game to call. Vicarage Road is not an easy place to go to for any visiting team. So it is surprising to see the bookies quoting 2-1 for a Watford victory. Those are the sort of odds that you would see for a match like this played on a neutral ground. There is value in backing Watford at 2-1 with BetFred, but there isn’t any value at backing Everton at odds of 11-8 with Bet365.

The facts are obvious. Everton has shaky recent form and is facing a tough away trip to a team every bit as strong as them. There may be some value in the draw at 12-5 with PaddyPower. Watford is tough to beat at home and only tend to lose to the top teams. They were beaten at home twice in August by Chelsea and Arsenal but that could be attributed to a slow start to the season. Since then they have only been beaten at Vicarage Road by Stoke City in the Premier League, and only by the odd goal.

West Brom vs. Watford – Mid Season, Mid Table Battle

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

This Saturday Watford travels to the Hawthorns to take on rival high-flyers West Brom. Both teams are sitting pretty in the top half of the Premier League table, Watford with 18 points and West Brom with 17. Each will be looking to take vital points against a team they will likely be vying against in May, possibly for a place in Europe.

A look at each team’s recent record shows remarkably similar form in the season so far, with both having a fairly even spread of wins, draws and losses. Ahead of a tight game at 15:00 on Saturday, we are taking an in-depth look at the two squads to try and unpick the football betting value.

A Solid Start

West Brom has made an impressive start to the season. Tony Pulis is well regarded a safe pair of hands, having helped steer the course for Stoke and Crystal Palace in becoming established Premier League clubs. His cautious, consistent approach to management has worked well for the Baggies, who are clearly flourishing under his leadership.

West Brom’s form is solid; they perform strongly against mid and lower table teams and have scored in all but three games this season. With four 1:1 draws so far, they have an ability to scrap for points when it counts. A 2:1 home win against Champions Leicester is a high point for the team.

With few injuries, Albion will be able to field a strong squad on Saturday. Saido Berahino hasn’t played a key part in the season this far, so his absence won’t be too keenly felt. Pulis will hope to draw on goals from Salomon Rondon and Nacer Chadli.

Watford has been a surprise package since rejoining the Prem last season. A promising 2015-16 season ended with a mid table finish, an FA cup semi final and the somewhat bemusing sacking of Quique Flores. Gino Pozzo, their Italian owner, appointed his compatriot Walter Mazzarri as manager in the summer. Untested in the jungle of the Premier League, Mazzarri is a manager with some pedigree in his home nation looking to prove himself on this new stage.

Watford is quickly proving themselves to be an exciting team capable of playing open, high scoring football on their day. A surprise 3:1 home victory against Man United, and, like West Brom, a 2:1 win against Leicester has shown that Watford is a team capable and willing to try to outplay more established clubs. This approach has come back to bite them; a 6:1 thrashing by the increasingly terrifying Liverpool has taught a lesson to any club thinking they can play open, progressive football at Anfield.

A match day squad could quite likely be missing two regular defensive starters in Younes Kaboul and Jose Holebas. Aside from them, Mazzarri will be able to pick from his regular starters. Captain Troy Deeney should start, a player who is a challenge for any defence to cope with.

Finding the value in a close game

It would be wise to expect a fairly even game, with both teams probing each other to find weakness in the first half. The fixtures from last season saw only one goal, resulting in a 0:1 away win for Watford, so we shouldn’t expect a high scoring game. While picking a winner between the two is tough, West Brom could edge it due to the home advantage. Paddy Power is offering 6/5 on West Brom win, and 23/10 on a draw.

However, with West Brom having recording four 1:1 draws so far this season, and both teams with an exactly 61.54% BTTS rate, a score draw seems like it could come through. Bet 365 have 1:1 at 11/2 and BTTS and draw at 7/2.