Watford is set to clash with Crystal Palace at the Selhurst Park for their midweek Premier League fixture. The Hornets just suffered a 1-0 loss to Burnley on the weekend and slid down to the 9th spot behind Leicester City. Marco Silva’s men did well to hold off the opposition with 10 men after Martin Zeegelaar’s studs-up challenge on Steven Defour earned him a red card on the 39th minute of the game. Watford has lost 2 of their last 3 fixtures and are not exactly eager to drop another 3 points to a club who are right at the bottom of the league table.
The Eagles have faced their share of troubles this season, but have not lost in their last three outings in the Premier League. They could have run away with the win in their last fixture against Bournemouth if Christian Benteke had converted the late penalty in injury time. The match ended 2-2. Scheduled to face Arsenal and Manchester City before January, Roy Hodgson will try his level best to earn themselves a win.
Marco Silva has mostly integrated the 3-4-2-1 into his gameplay for the majority of the season but chose to field the team in a traditional back 4 against Burnley on the weekend to counter Sean Dyche’s tactics directly. However, after the loss, he is expected to return to his usual style of play.
Defence
Heurelho Gomes presumably will take up his usual position in front of goal with an average of 3 saves per match in 16 appearances.
The trio of Adrian Mariappa, Sebastian Prödl and Christian Kabasele is expected to take up the back 3 positions. Prödl’s leadership from the centre back position has worked well for the side with the help of the fullbacks holding down the wings. For a club reluctant to drop points, they need to check the runs of Christian Benteke and Wilfried Zaha and not allow them an inch of space in their penalty box.
Midfield
Kiko Femenía suffered a minor muscle strain and was surprisingly dropped in the last fixture. Silva is currently unsure about his return and Darryl Janmaat might get the nod for the right wing-back position. With Zeegelaar facing match suspension, José Holebas should find himself in the starting line up down the left flank after his substitute appearance in the last fixture.
Tom Cleverly and Abdoulaye Doucouré are expected to start in the defensive midfield position as seen in the entirety of the club’s Premier League campaign. The pair works perfectly in cohesion to distribute the ball to the final third while shielding the defensive line against opposition attacks.
Attack
Richarlison has been the x-factor for the side with 5 goals and 3 assists to his name already. Failing to score in his last 4 matches, the 20-year-old will be eager to find the back of the net in this fixture.
Roberto Pereyra is expected to be paired up with the Brazilian behind the lone striker position taken up by Andre Gray. His pace up front will be instrumental in breaking down the Crystal Palace defence.
