Tag: Watford

Chelsea head to Watford on Monday night as they look to recover from their mauling at home to Bournemouth. While the transfer deadline didn’t exactly go to plan for Antonio Conte and his side, their loss to the Cherries was an even bigger disaster, which has put their Champions League hopes at risk. The Blues need to be finishing in the top four as the minimum achievement this season, but now they have Tottenham and even Arsenal bearing down as the Blues toil just inside the top four. Can they turn things around at Vicarage Road?

The pressure on Antonio Conte has only grown more intense after that 3-0 loss, and it seems like his off field complaints are transferring across to the team. While Conte is showing little concern over his place in the Stamford Bridge dugout next season, he can’t depart the club having left them right back where he started – outside of the Champions League. This title defence is nowhere near as disastrous as the last, but the crisis club tag hasn’t deserted Chelsea for much of the campaign. Another loss on Monday night, and those claims will only grow.

Team News: Will Conte Hand Giroud a Quick Debut?

Chelsea are expected to go into this game without Alvaro Morata once again, with the forward still side-lined. That should lead to a first start for new signing Olivier Giroud, who has taken up Michy Batshuayi’s role as understudy to the club’s record signing. However, the Frenchman showed his reliability over the years at Arsenal, and he could well emerge as a first choice if he hits the ground running. We don’t expect starts from the other January signings – Ross Barkley and Emerson Palmieri. The pair need to get back to fitness, as the former Everton man showed in the Bournemouth defeat. Despite the nature of that loss, we can’t see too many other changes for Conte to make this week.

While Watford blamed their collapse in form on Marco Silva, they come into this game with a lengthy injury list. Among them is former Blue Nathaniel Chalobah, while Craig Cathcart and Younes Kaboul miss out in defence. The Hornets are expected to have as many as seven players absent for this game, which obviously affects their chances. That’s bound to have played a big part in their collapse in form, and we expect the hosts to find things tough once again.

Watford Form

The Hornets have recently switched manager, sacking Marco Silva following a dismal run of results. His admiring glances to Everton earned him no favours from the Watford board, who quickly turned on him when relegation became a concern. It’s not hard to see why, as the hosts have been in awful form of late. They have just two wins since the tail end of November, a run spanning 14 matches, and one of those was against Championship opposition.

The hosts have won one of their previous 12 in the top flight, while they have one win in their last six at home. They do have a habit of falling apart around this stage every season, but they should get enough points in the final stages of the campaign to survive. However, that aim is quite a step down over what they were hoping for when Silva had them flying. Can new boss Javi Gracia manage to restore some hope to the Watford faithful with a victory over the champions in his first home game?

Watford v Chelsea Head to Head

Chelsea have a solid record against the Hornets, barring the season after the previous title win. Of course, that campaign brought plenty of poor displays against average sides, and the Blues drew home and away to the then newly promoted side. Things have looked up for them recently, and Conte has a 100% record against the Hornets since taking charge, despite a couple of close calls.

• Chelsea 4-2 Watford, Oct 2017
• Chelsea 4-3 Watford, May 2017
• Watford 1-2 Chelsea, Aug 2016
• Watford 0-0 Chelsea, Feb 2016
• Chelsea 2-2 Watford, Dec 2015

Betting Tips

• Both Teams to Score – 19/20 with Betfair
• Chelsea and Over 2.5 Goals – 6/4 with Coral

Chelsea head to Vicarage Road as favourites; they’re priced up at 4/7 with BetVictor to come away with the points on Monday night. The Hornets can be backed at 5/1 with Betfred to pull off a victory and turn their form around, while the draw is priced at 29/10 with Ladbrokes here. The Blues aren’t too badly priced for the win in this clash, but we think we’ve found a couple of bigger priced predictions ahead of the final game of the Premier League weekend.

While Watford don’t have a huge amount going for them in terms of form, they do have an impressive attacking record backing them up going in to this clash. They’ve found the net in seven straight home games, the only issue is that they’ve conceded in their previous six. The hosts have conceded 2.08 goals per game at home this term, so Chelsea shouldn’t worry too much about scoring, it seems like a perfect place for Giroud to make an impact. Given that the hosts have scored in 75% of their home games, and in four of their last five meetings with the Blues, we’re backing both teams to score at 19/20 with Betfair.

We expect a high scoring game, especially given that the Blues have won four of the last six encounters – with over 2.5 goals scored in each of those victories. Watford have seen over 2.5 in 67% of their home matches, while it has also landed in 67% of Chelsea’s away trips this term. We expect the Blues to take advantage of Watford’s awful form, but we should see goals in the process. An away win and over 2.5 goals is out second tip here, which is priced at 6/4 with Coral.

Chelsea suffered yet another setback as they threw away two points at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. The Blues went from 2-0 up against Roma to 3-2 down in a crucial Champions League tie. They ultimately drew 3-3, which is still not a great return for the champions. Having dropped points to Manchester City and Crystal Palace in the league, that display has left fans somewhat unsettled. It’s been a tough couple of weeks for Antonio Conte’s team, with the manager clearly showing that these performances have got to him in his post-match press conferences.

Facing Watford is a tough test for a Chelsea side who are well below par, with the Hornets impressing under Marco Silva. The Portuguese boss has taken the Vicarage Road side in to the top four, and they currently set a place above Chelsea in the table. Having beaten Arsenal last weekend, Watford are going to be out for another scalp on Saturday. The question is, will they go out and push the Chelsea defence, or try to frustrate the hosts? Regardless of how they approach this game, there’s certainly a chance for the visitors to take advantage of Conte’s selection woes and his side’s current slump.

Team News: Defensive Concerns Leave Conte with a Puzzle

Chelsea are very clearly missing N’Golo Kante in midfield, his injury over the international break has led to two poor defensive displays. He’s such a unique player that he’s difficult to replace, with Conte playing David Luiz and Tiemoue Bakayoko in front of the defence against Roma. That system worked a treat with Kante and Bakayoko giving Cesc Fabregas support in the three man midfield, but his absence has been telling. The bad news for the Blues is that he’s missing here once again, leaving a big gap for Conte to fill. On the bright side, he finally has Eden Hazard and Alvaro Morata fit to start together, which could be a very fruitful partnership.

Watford have leapt into the European spots thanks to some impressive squad depth, which marks them out from most of the league. They have so many options now that Troy Deeney has been relegated from indispensable captain to a man on the fringes, vying for a starting spot. As a result, predicting their team is tough. They are missing former Chelsea man Nathaniel Chalobah, who is suffering from a long-term injury after impressing in the early stages of his Watford career.

Watford Form

Watford’s only defeat of the season was a big one, as they lost 6-0 at home to Manchester City. Apart from that hammering they’ve been in great form, which has lifted them in to the Champions League places. Strangely, they’ve won four, drew three and lost two of their last nine matches, losing both of those to City by an 11-0 margin. Aside from those heavy losses, the Hornets have really impressed, having taken 10 points from four away trips so far.

Watford’s 2-1 win over Arsenal last weekend helped them earn even more plaudits, and it’s a result that will worry Chelsea. The Hornets hung in when Arsenal applied pressure, and they knew that they’d eventually be able to bully the Gunners. They won’t have the same ease of access past the Chelsea defence, but we expect Marco Silva to have worked out a way to make things difficult for the champions’ back four.

Chelsea v Watford Head to Head

Recent meetings between these two at Stamford Bridge have been high scoring, and this game could well go the same way. Watford have little reason to show fear, and going on the attack at Chelsea has brought them five goals in two trips, compared to the one point from two defensively minded meetings at Vicarage Road. If Silva is looking back on the recent meetings between the pair, it might encourage him to be more offensive than he was in his visit with Hull earlier this year.

• Chelsea 4-3 Watford, May 2017
• Watford 1-2 Chelsea, Aug 2016
• Watford 0-0 Chelsea, Feb 2016
• Chelsea 2-2 Watford, Dec 2015
• Chelsea 3-0 Watford, Jan 2015

Betting Tips

• Both Teams to Score – 19/20 with Coral
• Over 3.5 Goals – 17/10 with BetVictor

Despite their recent struggles, the bookmakers have plenty of faith in Chelsea this weekend. The Blues are priced at 4/11 to take the points in this game. Despite the Blues’ problems of late, they’re 9/2 with Betfred to draw this game, while Watford are 7/1 with bet365 to claim all three points. The Hornets are priced at 27/10 with Coral to avoid defeat in this game, which we think is great value given the form of the respective sides. With Watford set to be full of confidence and with Kante out, we can’t help but see a tough game for the champions on Saturday.

With Chelsea shipping three goals at home in midweek, it’s hard to imagine them turning things around with a clean sheet here. Not all of the mistakes at the back are down to Kante’s absence, but his absence is a significant one. The champions have three clean sheets in their last 12 home league games, and after Wednesday night’s incredible game we can’t help but expect goals in this clash. We’re backing both teams to score in this game, and it looks like excellent value at 19/20 with Coral.

Watford come here having scored at least twice in their previous five Premier League away games, which shows the kind of threat they have up front. We are already expecting both teams to score, but the Hornets have scored at least twice in their last two trips to the Bridge, both of which have turned into thrilling games. Given how open Chelsea’s game with Roma ended up on Wednesday, we can see at least four goals being scored here, so we’re backing over 3.5 goals at 17/10 with BetVictor.

Chelsea return to Stamford Bridge fresh from winning the Premier League title. A late goal from Michy Batshuayi gave the Blues a 1-0 win at West Brom on Friday, which saw them confirmed as champions. Having opened up a 10 point lead on Friday night, can they finish the season with that kind of advantage over Spurs? Antonio Conte is known for driving his sides on in meaningless games, having grilled his players ahead of the final Serie A game in 2014. Despite having the title won, Conte wanted to break the 100 points barrier. He tore into Gigi Buffon for taking his eye off the ball, and Juve won 3-0.

Expect Chelsea to head into this clash with Watford with a similar mentality. While they can’t hit 100 points this term, the Blues are on 87. Two victories would put them on 93, two shy of the Premier League record set by Jose Mourinho’s side in 2005. If they can finish with two victories, the champions will finish the season 43 points better off than last time around. That’s an incredible swing, and it would be a great way to finish a brilliant league campaign, before they lift the title against Sunderland on Sunday.

Team News: Expect changes after title party

Conte has guided Chelsea to the title thanks to a settled team selection, but that’s all about to change. By the look of the celebrations in the dressing room on Friday night, there could be a few players who aren’t ready to start this game. Diego Costa might need a little break, while a few of the stars should be rested with one eye on the FA Cup final later this month. It’s likely a few will sit out here and then the others get the weekend off, as Conte will still want a strong finish before the meeting with Arsenal. Hopefully John Terry can get on the field for his final two games in a Chelsea shirt.

Watford have a lengthy injury list for this game, with five players set to miss out. The Hornets are missing defenders Younes Kaboul and Craig Cathcart, while January signing Mauro Zarate is also injured. Roberto Pereyra is another forward player missing here, with those two Argentines both capable of easing Watford’s scoring worries. With those two out, the visitors could continue to struggle in the run in. The hosts are likely to set up in a 3-5-2 formation, which will be an interesting test for Conte’s 3-4-3 set up.

Watford form

Due to this clash, Watford’s latest game was also brought forward to Friday. The Hornets lost 1-0 at Everton, as they continued a dismal run of form. It’s now four defeats in five for the side from Vicarage Road, having secured safety a while ago. They’re sat in 15th place with 40 points to their name, which means they’ve achieved their immediate aim of staying in the top flight.

However, the visitors don’t have a strong record on their travels to back them up here. They’ve now lost their last six away games, all without conceding a goal. They’ve got one of the worst away records in the division, averaging just 0.67 points per game. It’s easy to see why the Blues are such heavy favourites.

Chelsea v Watford Head to Head

The Blues left it late to beat Watford at Vicarage Road, with two goals inside the last 10 minutes seeing off the Hornets. The first of those goals came from Batshuayi – his only Premier League goal this season before that crucial strike on Friday. Last season these two shared a pair of draws during the Hornets’ first season back in the top flight, but that’s unlikely to be repeated here given the visitors’ awful record on the road this term.

• Watford 1-2 Chelsea, Aug 2016
• Watford 0-0 Chelsea, Feb 2016
• Chelsea 2-2 Chelsea, Dec 2015
• Chelsea 3-0 Watford, Jan 2015
• Chelsea 5-0 Watford, Jan 2010

Betting Tips

• Chelsea to win to nil – 13/10 with BetVictor
• Chelsea to win 3-0 – 8/1 with Bet365

Chelsea are priced at 2/7 with Coral to take the points this weekend, while the draw is 5/1 with Sky Bet. Watford are 9/1 with Betfred to rain on the Blues’ parade this weekend, although their recent away form makes that pretty unlikely. While there are bound to be changes for the champions, we still see them being too strong for the Hornets. However, there’s obviously little value in backing the hosts at such short odds. There is value elsewhere in this one, and we believe we’ve found a couple of bets well worth backing.

We’ve detailed Watford’s poor recent away record, but they’ve been awful all season on their travels. With 12 defeats from 18, we can’t see anything but another away loss for the Hornets. They’ve managed just 12 goals away from Vicarage Road so far, and Stamford Bridge isn’t the place to go in order to add to that awful total. With little creativity on their travels, we can’t see Watford getting any joy against the Blues. After three straight wins to nil, we’re backing another clean sheet and victory for the champions. Given that Watford have lost to nil in six straight away, and in four of their last five games, 13/10 with BetVictor looks like a brilliant price.

We’re also backing Chelsea to win with a little more swagger than they did on Friday. The Blues have been in great scoring form at home, hitting at least three in four of their last six. Given how poor Watford have been of late, the Blues should be able to rack up a few more goals in this one. There’s plenty of attacking talent to come into the team, so we’re backing a 3-0 win for the champions at 8/1 with Bet365.