Watford will resume their Premier League campaign on Saturday when they travel to Molineux to face Wolverhampton Wanderers. After a promising start to the season, the Hornets have been inconsistent in the last few outings and need a win to get their season back on track.
Wolves, on the other hand, have been excellent this season, securing 15 points from eight games. They are slight favourites going into this game, having won their last two league fixtures.
Unlike Wolves, Watford will have a few key players sidelined this weekend, including Tom Cleverly and Daryl Janmaat. Both the players are suffering long-term injuries and are not expected return before the end of this month.
Watford will also miss out on the services of key defenders, Christian Kabasele and Jose Holebas, both of whom are suspended. Marc Navarro is unlikely to feature either after suffering a knock.
Defence
The absence of Kabasele, Holebas, and Janmaat will be a huge blow for head coach Javi Gracia as he will be forced to make drastic changes to his back-four.
Kiko Femenia will replace Janmaat as the right-back despite playing only 144 minutes of football this season while new signing Adam Masina will deputise for Holebas on the opposite flank. It will be Masina’s first ever Premier League start.
In central defence, the suspended Christian Kabasele will make way for Sebastian Prodl, who has also struggled with lack of game time this season. In fact, this will be Prodl’s first league appearance this season. Craig Cathcart will complete the Watford backline.
Ben Foster will be the man between the sticks for the Hornets this weekend.
Midfield
Gracia will resort to his trusted midfield duo of Abdoulaye Doucoure and Etienne Capoue. Doucoure hasn’t been able to hit the heights of last season but remains an integral part of Watford’s midfield setup, having made 21 tackles and 10 key passes.
Capoue, on the other hand, has notched up excellent numbers this season as he leads the team in tackles (36) as well as interceptions (27). He is also third in aerial challenges (15) won, thus making him one of the most active players for Watford this campaign.
Attack
While Doucoure and Capoue take charge of the midfield, Roberto Pereyra and Will Hughes will occupy the wider attacking positions. The duo has produced 19 key passes this season while scoring four goals.
The attack will be led by Troy Deeney and Andre Gray, who, along with Pereyra, has been Watford’s joint-leading goal scorer this season.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored
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