Watford vs Hull City. Premier League.
Vicarage RoadAttendance20,022.
Friday 4 November 2016 18:46, UK
Walter Mazzarri will take nothing for granted when Watford welcome struggling Hull City to Vicarage Road on Saturday afternoon.
Mike Phelan's Tigers sit 18th in the Premier League having lost their last five games, including a 6-1 defeat at Bournemouth earlier in the month.
Hull, newly promoted, started the campaign with a victory over reigning champions Leicester City and followed that up with three points against Swansea City.
They have not won in the league since that 2-0 success on August 20, though, with Phelan unable to take any points whatsoever since his appointment as permanent boss at the KCOM Stadium.
In contrast, Watford are enjoying their best-ever start to a Premier League season and have taken 12 points from Mazzarri's first nine league outings at the helm.
They were unlucky to be held to a goalless draw at Swansea last time out, but Mazzarri is still expecting a tough test from Hull.
"In this new Premier League compared to last year, all the teams have become stronger," he said.
"The statistics you have shown are something we cannot look at. Middlesbrough were beaten at home by us and then got a draw the next week away to Arsenal at the Emirates."
Team news
Hull are without Adama Diomande after the after they opted not to appeal against the striker's violent conduct charge by The Football Association.
The Tigers are already without winger Robert Snodgrass (ankle), striker Dieumerci Mbokani (hamstring) and defender Andrew Robertson (calf), while defenders Moses Odubajo (fractured patella) and Alex Bruce (Achilles), plus goalkeeper Allan McGregor (back) are still out.
Meanwhile, Daryl Janmaat is likely to return for Watford after recovering from a shoulder problem and Mazzarri expects the Holland international to at least make the bench against the Tigers.
However, record-signing Isaac Success is absent once again as he struggles for match fitness and Craig Cathcart (groin) also misses out.
Opta stats
This will be the first time this fixture has been played in the top-flight of English football.
Hull have lost their last five Premier League games - only once have they lost six in a row in the Premier League (January 2009).
The Tigers have shipped 11 goals in total in their last two top-flight away games (1-5 v Liverpool and 1-6 vs Bournemouth).They last lost three consecutive away Premier League games in January 2014.
No side in Premier League history has ever conceded five or more goals in three consecutive away games. The last top-flight side to do so were Blackburn Rovers in August 1965, conceding five goals exactly in three consecutive games.
Watford have received more bookings than any other Premier League side this season (25) and have also conceded the most fouls (137).
Hull have had fewer touches in the opposition box this season than any other Premier League team (99).
Troy Deeney has scored in each of his last three appearances for Watford against Hull City.
Merson's prediction
I watched Hull against Bournemouth and they were all over the shop, and then Stoke played them off the park a week later. It's not looking good.
They had a positive result in the EFL Cup to stop the rot, but the Premier League is a much tougher challenge and Watford are a good team.
They should get the job done at home to extend Hull's wait for a win.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-0 (Sky Bet odds 13/2)
Betting
Watford are Sky Bet's odds-on favourites at 3/4 to claim three points at home to Hull on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers can be backed at 19/5 to end a five-match losing in the Premier League with victory and the draw is on offer at13/5.
Watford talisman Deeney is unsurprisingly the 7/2 favourite in Sky Bet's first goalscorer odds and Abel Hernandez is the top Hull contender at 15/2. Sky Bet offer 7/1 for both Deeney and Hernandez to find the back of the net in this Vicarage Road contest.
