Watford travel to the London Stadium as they look to clock up their first win of the season. Watford have thus far put up spirited performances in matches against Southampton and Chelsea earning a well-fought draw against the Saints but fell to a late Diego Costa goal against the Blues. Walter Mazzarri has been handed a tough start to the season but he will be looking to gather any point that he can and with a match against Manchester United next, the game against the Hammers potentially offers a realistic opportunity for them to muster something. But things will certainly not be easy for the Hornets on Saturday and here we look at a few reasons why West Ham will be starting off as favourites.
Watford have had a draining opening period but have a mere 1 point to show for their efforts. They led in both their first two games and would have been gutted to concede goals in both of them, experiencing a crushing defeat against Chelsea via a last-gasp goal from Costa. They were given a walloping in the first half against Arsenal and will be deflated going into this weekend’s match. Teams tend to get into a rut when losing and with a match against Manchester United up next they will be fearful of getting into a resigned mode as they look to get over the horrendous opening fixtures.
West Ham’s previous record against Watford makes for a good read if you are a hammer. West Ham have only lost once at home to Watford in their last 13 fixtures, losing one and drawing one in the process. Last season it was the home team which clinched maximum points over the two fixtures and it looks to be something similar this time around.
Watford will be welcoming a couple of new players into the fold and they will naturally take their own time to get settled into the new team. It is easier to slot into a team with winning momentum on their side, but due to the low morale and the tough match-ups, it will be a herculean effort for the new boys to immediately hit the ground running. Whereas West Ham have an in-form Antonio rampaging on the flanks and with the likes of Payet yet to come into the fold they are a more settled unit with a win already under their belts.
West Ham will certainly start as favourites but the Hornets have shown they are capable of causing an upset.
