Watford vs Arsenal 16/04/19

16 April 2019

Watford and Arsenal go head-to-head at Vicarage Road for the Premier League fixture the visitors have to win in order to keep their chances of ensuring the top-four finish alive.

A fractured campaign, highlighted by a lot of ups and downs currently sees the hosts sitting 10th with a one-point deficit to seventh-placed Leicester City. A tumultuous period the Hornets are going through has seen them win four of their last seven PL outings (W4, L3) as they come into this meeting off the back of a stunning 4-1 over Fulham. Far more comfortable at home, the Golden Boys are unbeaten in all seven of their previous home games across all competitions (W4, D3). What’s more, Javi Gracia’s men have racked up three straight PL home victories, scoring seven goals while conceding two in the process. However, Watford’s home record in H2Hs with Arsenal in the 21st century should scary the local fans, as Watford lost five consecutive H2H meetings with the London giants before clinching a 2-1 win last season.

Meanwhile, a narrow 1-0 loss to Everton last time out has brought the visitors’ chances of finishing in top four into question, as they currently sit three points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea although they have two games in hand. But, the Gunners have pulled off the Europa League 2-0 home win over Napoli in the build-up to this meeting, which was the fifth time in their last six competitive encounters that they’ve managed to score over 1.5 goals per match. Arsenal’s indifferent road record (W5, D4, L6) could be a major influence here, especially considering the fact that Unai Emery’s men have failed to preserve a clean slate on all 15 of their Premier League trips this term – the PL worst record. Another troubling fact for the Spanish manager is that just 19 of 63 of Arsenal’s total PL points have arrived away from home (30.16%).