MX23RW : Sunday, November 24 22:41:41| >> :120:35088:35088:
[monks data]
Attendance: 20,035
Watford logo
Premier League | Gameweek 3
Aug 24, 2019 at 3pm UK
 
West Ham logo

1-3

Gray (17')
FT(HT: 1-1)
Noble (3' pen.), Haller (64', 73')

Manuel Pellegrini wary of Watford despite poor start to season

Manuel Pellegrini wary of Watford despite poor start to season
© Reuters
West Ham face a Hornets side on a poor run of Premier League results.

Manuel Pellegrini has warned his West Ham squad that they will be making a big mistake by banking on a victory against struggling Watford.

The Hammers will head to Vicarage Road to face a Hornets side who have failed to score a goal or secure a point from their opening two matches.

Javi Gracia's men are on a five-match losing streak in the league, extending back to last season, and will be without Troy Deeney following his minor knee operation earlier this week.

West Ham are also without a win, losing on the opening weekend to Manchester City and drawing at Brighton last Saturday.

"If we base our chances in this match on Watford's form then we are going to make a very big mistake," said Hammers boss Pellegrini.

"Football changes in every game, so if we want to win or try to be a competitive team, we need to play well in defending, we need to be a creative team in attacking.

"It's more important to think about our side. West Ham must not be compared with another team. We must try to win the games. It doesn't matter who we play.

"We beat Watford last season in the last game we played away from home, and I hope we can repeat that on Saturday."

Pellegrini will welcome back Mark Noble for Saturday's clash at Vicarage Road.

The 32-year-old has missed his side's opening two games with a calf problem, but he returned to training this week and will be pushing for a place in Pellegrini's starting line-up.

The match against Watford will mark the 15th anniversary of Noble's professional debut, a League Cup first-round victory against Southend at Upton Park.

Writing in his London Evening Standard column, Noble, who has gone on to play 467 times for West Ham, wrote: "Does it seem 15 years ago [that I made my debut]? No, longer to be honest.

"If you had said to me when I was 14 that I could play just one game in the Premier League, I would have taken it like a shot.

"To accumulate almost 500 games in a decade and a half means I'm averaging more than 30 per season and I'm proud of that.

"Many top midfielders have been bought by the club during those years, yet my mentality has never changed. I've always thought, 'If fit, I'm playing every week, there's no way I am letting anyone else take this shirt'.

"I'm 32 now but I still get nervous before every training session and that's because I want to be the best player out there. I'll have that attitude until my final game as a player and I suppose it's a fear of failure which drives me on."

ID:369016: cacheID:369016:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3892:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Watford's Troy Deeney sees red on April 15, 2019
Read Next:
Watford skipper Troy Deeney ruled out of West Ham visit
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
OT
Vikings
30-27
Bears
FT
Lions
24-6
Colts
FT
Patriots
15-34
Dolphins
FT
Buccaneers
30-7
Giants
FT
Chiefs
30-27
Panthers
FT
Titans
32-27
Texans
FT
Cowboys
34-26
Washington
9.05pm
Broncos
@
Raiders
9.25pm
49ers
@
Packers
9.25pm
Cardinals
@
Seahawks
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Leeds UnitedLeeds1695228121632
2Sunderland1695226121432
3Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd1610422191232
4Burnley168621961330
5Middlesbrough1683529191027
6West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom166821811726
7Watford168262524126
8Millwall166641914524
9Blackburn RoversBlackburn156451917222
10Bristol City165742020022
11Derby CountyDerby165562020020
12Stoke CityStoke165561920-120
13Norwich CityNorwich164752524119
14Swansea CitySwansea165471414019
15Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds165471826-819
16Luton TownLuton165381826-818
17Coventry CityCoventry164572223-117
18Oxford UnitedOxford Utd164571924-517
19Plymouth ArgylePlymouth164571728-1117
20Preston North EndPreston163761624-816
21Cardiff CityCardiff164481524-916
22Hull City163671621-515
23Portsmouth152671628-1212
24Queens Park RangersQPR161871326-1311


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!