In their aim to make an immediate return to the Premier League this season, Watford have experienced a somewhat mixed first half to the term, often failing to establish runs of consistency, and such an issue has been apparent since their return from the World Cup break.
Slaven Bilic’s men returned to action at home to Hull City and only managed to take a point from a disappointing goalless stalemate, before putting their 10th league win of the season on the board as Joao Pedro hit both goals in a 2-0 triumph away at Huddersfield Town.
The Hornets set out to build on that result and move closer to Burnley and Sheffield United in the automatic promotion spots, but they were unable to do so, suffering 2-0 and 4-0 defeats at the hands of Millwall and Swansea City
respectively before again bouncing back in impressive fashion in their first game of the new year, as Vakoun Issouf Bayo found the net in the dying minutes of their trip to Norwich City to seal a 1-0 victory.
Bilic’s men head into the weekend on the back of an unsuccessful FA Cup third-round tie, as Reading condemned them to a 2-0 defeat with Kelvin Abrefa and Shane Long on the scoresheet, with their focus now fully on the fight at the top end of England’s second tier.
Only leading seventh-placed Luton Town by a single point and with an 11-point gap up to the top two, Watford will see it as crucial that they build a winning run and put a second straight three-point haul on the board on Saturday.
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Michael Appleton’s side have, at least, managed four draws out of their last five league games, though, firstly taking points from contests against Birmingham City, Cardiff City and Hull City,
before suffering a narrow defeat at home to second-placed Sheffield United and drawing 1-1 with Sunderland in their first game of the new year, with Shayne Lavery’s opener cancelled out by a Ross Stewart equaliser soon after the hour mark.
They would then host Premier League outfit Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup third round on Saturday and prevail in impressive fashion, booking a trip to Southampton in the next round as Marvin Ekpiteta, Ian Poveda, CJ Hamilton and Jerry Yates all got on the scoresheet to put their side 4-0 up before Ryan Yates netted an injury-time consolation goal for the visitors.
