After a break from action which has been more then a fortnight now, these two sides will be itching to get back into the habit of playing football and for Middlesbrough they will look to bring an end to the run of games without a win which has been extended to 5
Today they play host to Watford and will look to pull themselves further up the table as a win would realistically see them move 12th and paint a better picture than the 17th place that they are currently in. After a good start to the season it seems as if Boro have been bought back down to earth with a bump
Before the break, Boro were held to a point by fellow strugglers West Ham, after taking the lead they were then undone by a moment of brilliance from Dimitri Payet. They would have disappointed to only come away with a draw but at least that point ended a run of three straight defeats
For Today’s opponents Watford the picture looks slightly better, in comparison their season started slowly but they recently found their groove thanks to back to back wins against West Ham and Manchester United, that said though they have failed to win their last two matches.
Walter Mazzari’s side currently find themselves in but a win would see them move up into the top half of the table. Scoring goals hasn’t been a problem for them so far but it’s keeping them out at the other end which seems to be the issue as they have already shipped 13 in just seven matches, that’s nearly 2 a game
With Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo up front then there are always going to have half a chance of finding the net and that’s not forgetting the astonishing early form of Etienne Capoue, Tottenham fans will look on and ask himself if they had the same player after his stint at White Hart Lane.
But Watford’s leakiness has been their undoing on many occasions, I think that comes down to perhaps new players and a new formation which is taking time to bed in but would you imagine as the weeks progress then it won’t be so much of a concern
For Today if they keep Middlesbrough at bay then they will fancy their chances of getting all three points from their trip to the North-East due to the aforementioned goal threat they possess. I have a feeling though that this will end up in a draw. Middlesbrough still searching for a win since August while Watford have to do make do with a share of the points.