Watford vs Chelsea 27/12/18

27 December 2018

Watford and Chelsea will face-off at Vicarage Road as the hosts look to extend a three-game lossless Premier League streak (W2, D1).

The previous four H2H meetings between the two have produced over 2.5 goals with both teams hitting the back of the net, while their last three H2H encounters produced a minimum of five goals.

Meanwhile, the Hornets have clinched two straight league victories, beating Cardiff City and West Ham in the run, as they now hope to post their third consecutive win. However, Watford’s record against top-six Premier League teams is anything but promising. The Golden Boys have already lost to Man City, Man Utd, Arsenal, and Liverpool this season, only defeating Tottenham in the process. Furthermore, Javi Gracia’s men have suffered four losses in their last six home games, conceding a minimum of two goals per match five times during the run. But, Watford’s home games have offered a fair amount of entertainment to the neutral, with 89% of their home clashes producing over 2.5 goals.

On the other hand, the visitors come into this encounter following a narrow 1-0 defeat to Leicester City at home back last weekend, which was their second failure in their last five Premier League outings. Sitting fourth with 37 points after 18 league fixtures, the Blues have to secure all three points to avoid sliding down the table as Arsenal (also 37) face a simpler task taking on Brighton. However, Maurizio Sarri’s players have lost two (to Wolverhampton and Tottenham) out of their previous three road meetings, conceding at least two goals per match in both of those defeats. Still, 88% of Chelsea’s away clashes have produced over 2.5 goals, with the Pensioners scoring a minimum of two goals per match five times on their eight road trips while failing to keep a clean sheet four times in the process.