Relegation candidates Watford and Norwich City collide at Vicarage Road on Tuesday, July 7, 2020, as the English Premier League action continues. Game time will be at 1:00 p.m. EST.
The Hornets enter this home contest fourth from the bottom of the English Premier League table. They are just one point above the relegation zone while the Canaries head to Vicarage Road seven points adrift of safety. Both these sides are coming off defeats in their last outing as Watford dropped its third straight against Chelsea while Norwich City is fresh from a defeat against Brighton. With Watford set to face Manchester United Arsenal in their final two assignments, the hosts have to capitalize on this winnable match.
Watford heads to this matchup in 17th place in the English Premier League team standings. They have a record of 6-10-17 with a total of 28 points earned. They are currently one point ahead of Aston Villa and the relegation zone. The team has not won a match since the restart of the season and their last victory came against Liverpool last February.
In their last assignment, goals by Olivier Giroud, Willian, and Ross Barkley doomed the Hornets as Chelsea emerged victorious 3-0 and dealt Watford its third consecutive defeat. The Blues were all over the Hornets throughout the match and the latter wasn’t able to get any kind of consistent offense going for them.
Troy Deeney leads the team with a total of six goals scored this season. Ismaila Sarr has netted five times while Abdoulaye Doucoure has found the back of the net four times. Gerard Deulofeu leads the team with five assists while also scoring four goals. Sarr and Doucoure have also contributed five and three assists, respectively.
Watford ranks 18th in goal scoring with a total of 29 goals scored this season. They are 15th in goals conceded with a total of 52 goals conceded this year. They are 18th in passing with a total of 19 assists on the year. Their goal difference of -23 is ranked 17th overall in the English Premier League.
Norwich is at the bottom of the English Premier League table. The Canaries have a dismal record of 5-6-22 and only a total of 21 points earned from their matches this season. They are currently seven points away from safety. They have lost their last six matches across all competition and barring any miracle, they will be returning to the second tier next season.
In their last assignment on Saturday, the Canaries suffered a 0-1 defeat at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion in Carrow Road. Leandro Trossard’s first-half goal proved to be the winning margin as Norwich City only had one shot on goal despite controlling 58% of the possession time.
Teemu Pukki leads Norwich City with a total of 11 goals scored this season. Todd Cantwell has found the back of the net six times while Kenny McLean has one goal. Emiliano Buendia leads the Canaries with seven assists while Pukki has three assists and Cantwell also contributing two assists.
Norwich City is the worst team in the English top-flight this season. They are dead last in scoring with 25 goals scored and they are also at the bottom in goals conceded with a total of 61 allowed. The Canaries’ 17 assists are also the fewest in the league and they have a goal difference of -36 which is, well, also the worst in England.
Deulofeu, Isaac Success, and Daryl Janmaat are still hurt but other than these three, Watford doesn’t have fresh injuries. Gray missed the Southampton after an alleged breach of lockdown rules but returned to the bench against Chelsea. Craig Cathcart and Roberto Pereyra could return to the starting XI after coming off the bench versus Chelsea.
On the other hand, Norwich is expected to get back Todd Cantwell and Teemu Pukki after both only made the bench against Brighton. Christoph Zimmermann is back in training but he isn’t expected to play a part before the season is over. Meanwhile, Grant Hanley, Sam Byram, Moritz Leitner are still on the mend and won’t be able to make this game.
There is a lot on the line for Watford here. They are on the relegation bubble and they need the points right now. The team has lost four out of their last five matches with just one draw. Watford only has one win in their last 11 Premier League matches with seven losses. It’s interesting to note though that their only win came against Liverpool. This weekday match gives them the perfect opportunity to break out of their struggles.
Watford hasn’t been impressive but Norwich City has been worse on the road this season with 12 losses in 16 away games.
The Canaries have picked up only six points in their away matches this season and have not picked up a point since the restart of the season. Norwich City has failed to score in six out of their last seven away matches.
Norwich City has the edge in their head to head matchup with four wins and two losses in their last six games against Watford across all competition. However, their poor form this year makes it difficult for me to pick them over the hosts. I’m going with Watford here.
Prediction: Watford (-152)
Watford -1
-120
Norwich City +1
+100
Odds from SportsBetting as of 07/06/2020
The Premier League’s bottom side has scored just once in their travels this season. Eight out of their last 12 road losses have been by a margin of 2+ goals including four games by a 2-0 score. Both these teams haven’t scored well this season but the Canaries have been terrible in 2020 as they are the worst scoring team in the English top flight. I like Watford to cover the spread at home.
Prediction: Watford -1 (-120)
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