Prediction: Leicester City win to nil
Odds:11/5
Bookmaker: William Hill
Watford travel to the King Power Stadium on Saturday afternoon looking to get their season back on track against Claude Puel’s confident Leicester City.
The Foxes meanwhile will be aiming to keep their fifth consecutive clean sheet in all competitions as their pursuit of European football gathers pace.
Leicester City
Since taking over at the King Power Struggling Stadium, Claude Puel has managed to chalk-up an extremely respectable win percentage of just under 40%. In his 18 games in charge of the Foxes, the Frenchman has taken them from the Premier League relegation zone to the comfort of eighth in the table. The East-Midlanders could even jump above high-flying Burnley in the table with a victory this weekend.
One aspect that will give the team confidence is their extremely impressive defensive record as of late. The Foxes have kept four consecutive clean sheets in all competitions – the most eye-catching of those being a 0-0 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in their last league outing. Their most recent game at the King Power Stadium also ended positively with a 3-0 thumping of newly-promoted Huddersfield Town. That victory continued their excellent record of scoring at home. Only the ‘big seven’ have netted more home goals than the Foxes, so they should be a good bet to find the back of the net against a Watford side who have hit the buffers in recent weeks.
Team News
Defender Ben Chilwell is able to play a part again after serving his suspension for a red card picked up against Chelsea. The young left-back could be joined in the team by Matty James and Danny Simpson who are close to recovering from an ankle and hamstring injury respectively.
The match however will be too early for defensive pairing Robert Huth and Wes Morgan however who are ruled out through injury. Aleksander Dragović has been excellent in their absence however. Kelechi Iheanacho could be set to play a more prominent role after bagging a brace in the mid-week FA Cup win over Fleetwood Town.
Watford
Despite an extremely positive start to the season, the Hornets’ have fallen dramatically. Currently sitting 10th in the Premier League standings, Marco Silva’s troops have only won one out of their last ten league games. Although, that solitary win did come last month in the form of a 2-1 victory against this weekend’s opponents Leicester City. They did manage to fight back well in their last Premier League game however as a controversial late goal from Abdoulaye Doucouré enabled them to snatch a late 2-2 draw with Southampton.
They will really have to improve their defensive record if they are to leave the King Power Stadium with any points. The Hertfordshire outfit have not kept a clean sheet in league action since a 3-0 win over Newcastle United at the end of November. In the ten games since then, they have conceded 21 goals – a major reason behind their current form. The Hertfordshire outfit have also lost each of their last four games away from Vicarage Road, making this weekend’s ask even greater.
Team News
Despite their poor form in recent weeks, Marco Silva could potentially welcome back a few key players for the trip to the East Midlands. Younes Kaboul, Will Hughes, Miguel Britos and Craig Cathcart could all potentially return from injury. However, the game will come too early for the likes of Nathaniel Chalobah, Isaac Success, Tom Cleverley, Kiko Femenia and Tommy Hoban. Top scorer Doucouré will surely be one of the first names on the team sheet after he netted his seventh goal of the season last time out.
Key Facts to Consider
- Leicester City have the superior record between the two sides (W27, D17, L20)
- The Foxes have won seven out of their last ten home games against Watford, netting 25 times
- Watford won the last clash between the two sides 2-1 at Vicarage Road
- Riyad Mahrez has scored four times in his last four games against the Hornets
- Claude Puel has only suffered two home league losses since becoming manager of Leicester City
- Watford have lost their last four away games
Conclusion
Unfortunately for the Hornets, everything points to a Leicester City victory this weekend. Despite the fact that they shocked Claude Puel’s men at the return leg at Vicarage Road, Watford will not be able to get a similar result this time out.
The Foxes should continue their excellent home record and keep a clean sheet. Riyad Mahrez again will be one to look out for as his wonderful form in the Premier League should carry on for a little while longer.
Prediction: Leicester City win to nil
Odds:11/5
Bookmaker: William Hill
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