Seeking to recover from their disappointing EFL Cup exit to lower-league opposition in midweek, Watford welcome Newcastle United to Vicarage Road in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Hornets were sent packing 3-1 by Stoke City in midweek action, whereas Steve Bruce's side have had over a week to recover from their 1-1 draw with Leeds United in the top flight.
Match preview
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The jubilation of a dominant Premier League victory over Norwich City quickly turned to despair for Watford fans, who witnessed their side come up second best against former Championship foes Stoke City at Vicarage Road on Tuesday evening.
Nick Powell propelled Stoke into the ascendancy after 25 minutes before Ashley Fletcher levelled just after the hour mark, but Sam Clucas came off the bench to restore the Potters' lead before Josh Tymon put the cherry on the icing on the cake with five minutes remaining.
An early cup exit may be a blessing in disguise for Watford, though, especially when taking into account their daunting fixture list over the next several weeks - Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, Leicester City and Chelsea all lie in wait for the Hornets before the end of November.
Xisco Munoz's side did march to a convincing 3-1 success over Norwich in their most recent Premier League battle, though, and that result sees them sitting pretty in 11th spot in the table - a ranking which they would certainly be best pleased with come May - but the true tests will soon present themselves before the end of the year.
Watford can also take confidence from the fact that they have lost just four of their last 14 Premier League home matches - as well as turning Vicarage Road into a fortress during the 2020-21 Championship season - while their opponents are in the same old position once again.
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The individual brilliance of Newcastle and Leeds' wing kings came to the fore at St James' Park last week, as the Magpies' winless start to the new Premier League season continued with an entertaining 1-1 draw against Marcelo Bielsa's side.
After Raphinha's cross evaded everyone before nestling into the far corner of the net, who else but Allan Saint-Maximin would restore parity for Newcastle, as the Frenchman fired home on the stroke of half time to rescue a point for his side.
However, with no wins and two points to boast from their opening five Premier League matches, the pressure is once again piling on the shoulders of Steve Bruce, whose side occupy 18th spot in the Premier League table at this early stage.
Only basement side Norwich City (14) have shipped more goals than Newcastle (13) so far this season, and the Magpies have already been sunk by Aston Villa and Manchester United away from home before they seek to improve their fortunes at Vicarage Road.
Indeed, Watford claimed a 2-1 win in this fixture back in July 2020, and Newcastle have only beaten the Hornets once in their last 10 meetings across all competitions - a 1-0 league victory in November 2018 thanks to Ayoze Perez's winner.
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Team News
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Watford's Kiko Femenia is in with an outside chance of returning to the first XI this weekend, while Peter Etebo will reclaim his rightful spot in midfield after being ineligible to face Stoke in midweek.
However, Etebo is fighting an uphill battle to displace one of Tom Cleverley, Moussa Sissoko and Juraj Kucka in midfield, with new arrivals Ozan Tufan and Imran Louza both failing to inspire their side to victory against Stoke and set to drop out.
Jeremy Ngakia was given the nod at right-back in midweek but should be demoted to the bench by Craig Cathcart here, while Ben Foster will keep the injured Daniel Bachmann out of the team for now and Joao Pedro remains out with a knee issue.
As for the visitors, Joe Willock was recently pictured with a protective boot on his foot and is confirmed to be missing out, while Jonjo Shelvey also remains out with a calf problem.
Callum Wilson and Paul Dummett also occupy spots in the Newcastle treatment room, while Isaac Hayden may move back into the middle to compensate for the loss of Willock, and Jamaal Lascelles has also been ruled out for a couple of weeks with a muscle problem.
Goalkeepers Martin Dubravka and Freddie Woodman are also nursing injuries, but Karl Darlow marked his return against Leeds with nine saves in that pulsating draw.
Watford possible starting lineup:
Foster; Cathcart, Troost-Ekong, Kabasele, Rose; Sissoko, Kucka; Sarr, Cleverley, Dennis; King
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Darlow; Manquillo, Clark, Fernandez, Schar, Ritchie; Almiron, Hayden, Longstaff, Joelinton; Saint-Maximin
We say: Watford 2-2 Newcastle United
Neither Watford nor Newcastle have become renowned for low-scoring affairs this term, and we expect that trend to continue in a battle between two sides who will certainly view this fixture as winnable.
Munoz's side can hardly take inspiration from their midweek showing with a second-string XI, and Newcastle have had a full week to recuperate following last week's draw, so we can see a goal-fest of an encounter ending with both sides shaking hands on a point.
Top tip
Ben Knapton
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Watford win with a probability of 44.85%. A win for Newcastle United had a probability of 29.31% and a draw had a probability of 25.8%.
The most likely scoreline for a Watford win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.75%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.08%) and 2-0 (7.94%). The likeliest Newcastle United win was 0-1 (8.32%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.29%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 12.3% likelihood.
