Watford are hosting Bournemouth for their Premier League fixture at the Vicarage on Sunday. The Hornets are coming off a 5-goal thrashing from Liverpool which took play before the international break.Mohamed Salah continued his superb season by scoring four times at Anfield. The Egyptian struck twice in the first half and then twice again late in the game to secure his first Liverpool hat-trick and take his tally to 36 for the season in all competitions.
That is the best haul in a debut season by a Liverpool player while he also chipped in with an assist shortly after half-time when he set up Roberto Firmino for a flicked finish.
Arsenal also damaged their hopes of a top-half finish by dealing out 3 goals in the previous fixture. Javi Gracia has been taking it by the nail in recent times and it would be ideal for the club to somehow extract maximum points in this fixture.
The bottom half of the table are very tightly stacked with both the Hornets and Bournemouth 8-points ahead of the relegation scraps. A few more slip-ups and who knows what could happen in the final 8 game weeks.
Gracia will have an especially tougher time dealing with an in-form Bournemouth team. The Cherries upstaged them in the 10th spot with a 2-1 win over West Brom on the 17th March.
While the players might have been rested in the international break, the ‘Orns are still dealing with injuries.
They were on a downhill curve during the Christmas period but on Javi Gracia’s appointment, they are back in the fight.
Gracia is expected to field his men in the 4-2-3-1 formation.
Defence
Orestis Karnezis has replaced Heurelho Gomes in the starting lineup after the 37-year-old went down to injury earlier in the season.
Daryl Janmaat should find himself in the right-back position with Jose Cholebas on the other end.
Sebastian Prödl is expected to pair up with Adrian Mariappa in the centre-back positions.
Midfield
Abdoulaye Doucouré is the expected to pair up in the holding midfield role alongside Etienne Capoue. The duo are well balanced in their duties on both ends of the pitch and has worked well together in the past.
Roberto Pereyra might feature in the attacking midfield position ahead of the injured Tom Cleverley.
Richarlison is the predicted starter on the left flank and Kiko Femenia on the right.
Attack
Troy Deeney looked to have hit a run of form before the last 2 humiliating defeats. He should get the nod again in the number nine role.
