Watford vs Manchester United
The Premier League cellar dwellers in Watford will look to add more life to their listless campaign by hosting Manchester United in their upcoming match at the Vicarage Road on Sunday.
The Hornets have brought over a new manager once more by appointing Nigel Pearson to succeed Quique Sanchez Flores in desperate search for some resurgence. They are the bottom team in the Premier League standings with only nine points, putting them in a precarious position for relegation.
They will face a Manchester United squad who’s having an up-and-down season so far. The Red Devils are currently at the sixth spot at the table with 25 points and they have not lost yet in a Premier League match since the start of November.
Their recent forms suggest that this might be a close fight, and there’s a lot of reason to believe that it will be the case.
The Hornets were impressive despite losing in Anfield against Liverpool, 2-0, the last time around. And for sure they have been encouraged because of their efforts.
United seem to haven’t shaken off their tactical doldrums as of yet. But at least their youth movement has been paying dividends so far this term.
This appears to be closer than most would think. And as always, SBOBET is here to provide you a preview of this fixture.
Talking points
Nigel Pearson looks to be the right man for the job
It’s bad enough that the Hornets are experiencing a horrible season in the Premier League since they are in danger of being relegated. But what’s even worse is that the team doesn’t seem to have any direction.
Watford sacked their second head coach of the season last week and they’ve appointed the 56-year-old Pearson to try and save their sinking ship.
In fairness to Pearson, he offers some experience in handling stumbling clubs. Back in the 2015 season, he helped steer Leicester City to the 14th spot through their six-week run to preserve their top-flight status. It can be remembered that it was also Pearson who took the Foxes to promotion in the season prior.
While the negativity clouding the team is understandable, Pearson offers some perspective to their Premier League predicament. He noted that there is no point in putting more anxiety on his players and that he’ll do everything he can to bring better days ahead.
“There’s no point in trying to paint a picture that’s not realistic. We’re fully aware of the danger that we are in and the precarious nature of our status being under even more threat if we don’t rectify the situation sooner or later,” said Pearson during a recent press conference.
“But now’s not a time for myself or anybody to do anything other than keep a calm outlook on how we navigate our way through this situation,” he added.
His impassioned speech may have inspired his players recently. In their recent fixture against Liverpool, Watford produced some glimpses of inspiration especially when the odds were clearly in favour of the Merseysiders.
The Hornets had chances on both halves, and they tested Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker on those opportunities. More importantly, they made the Reds worked harder than they should en route to their 2-0 victory.
Pearson will have the unenviable task of organising his team and get them to wear their goal-scoring boots in order to give themselves a chance.
Which Man United team will show up?
Manchester United’s 2019/20 reminds me of a famous book talking about the strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
As the story would suggest, the Red Devils have been maddeningly inconsistent this season, as they would have beaten the likes of top-tier teams in Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester City, and Leicester City. They are also the one that shaved points away off of Liverpool this season.
At the same time, however, they’ve had their shares of underwhelming performances – highlighted by losses against Bournemouth and Newcastle, and drawn matches against Aston Villa and Everton recently.
Particularly against Everton, it took a late Mason Greenwood goal to rescue the Red Devils from another embarrassing defeat. Manchester United looked sluggish for the majority of that game.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer continues to rely on his young turks to provide the necessary goals for them. Marcus Rashford is still their leading man with 10 goals and four assists, and he is supported by the likes of Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood as they produce some of the best Premier League 2019 highlights.
OGS’ tactical approach tends to be ineffective on the worst moments for United, and they need to clean it up to avoid a setback against Watford.
History
The Red Devils have won 13 out of their 14 meetings with Watford, and they will be gunning for back-to-back away league wins for the first time since February.
The Hornets have only won once so far this season.
Betting tip
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Watford vs. Manchester United | Manchester United Asian Handicap -0.75 @ 2.06 |
| December 22, 22:00 (GMT+8) |
Our Premier League 2019 odds in the 1×2 market have Manchester United at 1.81 while Watford are placed at 4.50 and a draw 3.40.
The Red Devils are, of course, expected to win in this match due to their overall talent and quality compared to the Hornets. However, they shouldn’t let their guard down playing against a Watford team with nothing to lose.
I don’t expect either team to score at least three goals, and a safe bet is a 2-1 victory in favour of United.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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