Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
The last time these two sides met it was in the F.A. Cup Quarter Finals back in March. That Sunday Afternoon saw somewhat of an upset as Watford knocked out holders Arsenal to heap some more pressure on Arsene Wenger and themselves progress to the Cup Semi Finals. Watford Manager Quique Sanchez Flores will be looking to repeat that upset again as they return to The Emirates.
If the pressure was raised on Arsene Wenger after that defeat then it has somewhat subsided after Arsenal’s win at Goodison Park before the International Break. It was the Arsenal of old as they tore through a lackluster Everton with Alexis Sanchez pulling the strings in behind the Gunners attack.
It momentarily pulled them closer into the title race, although the small advantage they had gained was then eroded by Leicester’s win at Selhurst Park and then Tottenham’s subsequent win against Bournemouth 24 hours later.
Arsenal are definitely the outsiders in this three horse race for the title but if they can continue like they did against Everton for the next 7 matches then they certainly will not be out of the running for the final day celebrations just yet.
They will be looking to exact revenge for that cup defeat to Watford last month against a side who apart from that cup upset haven’t had too much to write home about as of late. The Hornets have lost their sting so to speak.
They can’t quite celebrate Premier League survival just yet although the job is all but done. They could do with 1 more point to make it official but at the same time they aren’t going to be dragged into a relegation scrap this season
What will be of a concern though to Quique Sanchez Flores is the fact that his side haven’t won in their last 4 league matches and have only won 2 out of their last 10. It seems as if the momentum of the first half of the season has all but ground to a halt.
Last time out they lost to a Europa League place chasing Stoke at Vicarage Road. The main factor in their lack of form as of late is the fact that they have only scored 30 goals all season, it’s as almost as if the good start to the season is papering over the cracks of that of the end of the campaign.
You would make Arsenal the favourites for this encounter and if they do have any hopes of winning the title then these are the games they must win to have any hope of bridging the gap between themselves and Leicester.
As for Watford they’ll be looking to get the necessary 3 points to get them officially over the line but I can’t see it happening this Afternoon. It’ll be an Arsenal win for me as they keep their title hopes alive. Home win.
