STAR PREVIEW: Swansea v Watford
[dropcap]W[/dropcap]atford beat Swansea 1-0 earlier in the season and travel to Wales tonight to face a side who have been sucked right into the relegation battle and are low on confidence.
Swansea have only won one and drawn three of their last 11 Premier League games which has contributed to their current predicament of 18th in the table and only a win tonight will lift them outside the bottom three.
Watford have defied pre-season gloomy predictions of them making an immediate return to the Championship and whilst they are by no means ‘safe’ from that fate yet, they are going along very nicely indeed in 12th spot thanks, in the main, to a fantastic pre-Christmas spell of six wins from eight games – only finding Leicester and Man U too good for them during that period.
Swansea’s interim manager Alan Curtis said: “The most important thing is that we get back on track. It would be great to win the game because it would be demoralising to lose three league games in a row. Watford have been on a fantastic run and it will be a tough game but we’re at home and we’ll make sure we do everything in our power to get that victory because we need the three points.”
Curtis has a fully fit side to choose from including defender Kyle Naughton who successfully appealed the red card he received in the defeat against Sunderland on Wednesday.
Watford will be without defenders Tommie Hoban and Joel Ekstrand through injury.
Swansea City v Watford
Premier League
20:00 Sky Sports 1 / Sky Sports 1 HD
HEAD TO HEAD RECORD
(Maximum 10 matches)
Sep 2015 PREMIER Watford 1-0 Swansea
Mar 2011 CHAMPIONSHIP Swansea 1-1 Watford
Sep 2010 CHAMPIONSHIP Watford 2-3 Swansea
Mar 2010 CHAMPIONSHIP Watford 0-1 Swansea
Aug 2009 CHAMPIONSHIP Swansea 1-1 Watford
Feb 2009 CHAMPIONSHIP Watford 2-0 Swansea
Nov 2008 CARLING CUP Swansea 0-1 Watford
Nov 2008 CHAMPIONSHIP Swansea 3-1 Watford
Feb 1983 DIV 1 (OLD) Swansea 1-3 Watford
Sep 1982 DIV 1 (OLD) Watford 2-1 Swansea
I couldn’t have got it more wrong yesterday so a wealth warning goes alongside the column at the moment. I fancy Watford strongly tonight. So much so that I’m backing them to be in front at both HT and FT at around 9/2 with Star Sports.
RECOMMENDED BETS (scale of 1-50 points)
BACK WATFORD HT/FT for 8 points at around 9/2 with Star Sports
RETURN SINCE START OF WORLD CUP: PROFIT 19.49 POINTS