Watford vs Everton preview
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Friday 31 January 2020 12:53, UK
Team news, key stats and ways to follow ahead of Watford vs Everton.
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Team news
Watford will have Danny Welbeck and Will Hughes back from injury for the visit of Everton as they look to bounce back from defeat to Aston Villa in their last Premier League match.
However, while Ismalia Sarr and Tom Cleverley are making progress, they remain unavailable, as do Kiko Femenia and Daryl Janmaat.
Everton have confirmed Richarlison is back after missing the past two fixtures with a knee injury.
A groin issue forced Gylfi Sigurdsson to be sidelined for the same period but the Iceland midfielder is in contention to feature this weekend along with Alex Iwobi (hamstring).
Jean-Philippe Gbamin (thigh) is the only long-term absentee, with Andre Gomes back in training.
How to follow
Follow the match in our dedicated live blog, while highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel at 5.15pm.
Opta stats
- Watford won none of their first three home Premier League games against Everton (D1 L2) but have since won their last three in a row against the Toffees.
- Since losing at Vicarage Road in the Premier League last February, Everton have won two games against the Hornets in all competitions, beating them twice this season - once in the Premier League and once in the League Cup.
- Watford are looking to record four consecutive home top-flight wins against an opponent for the first time in their history.
- After a run of 12 Premier League home games without a win (D5 L7), Watford have won three of their last four at Vicarage Road under manager Nigel Pearson (D1).
- Everton haven't kept an away clean sheet in the league since the opening weekend of the season (0-0 vs Crystal Palace), conceding in each of their last 11 on the road. However, the Toffees have also scored in each of their last eight away Premier League matches.
- Only leaders Liverpool have scored more headed goals in the Premier League than Everton this season (10). However, Watford have conceded just one goal from a header in the competition this term, fewer than any other side.
- Watford have failed to score in a league-high 11 different Premier League games this season. The Hornets have also had twice as many goalless draws as any other side this season (4), with all of these coming at Vicarage Road - the last team to have more home 0-0 draws in a Premier League campaign were Aston Villa in 2008-09 (5).
- No keeper has kept more Premier League clean sheets this season than Watford's Ben Foster (8). Indeed, Foster has recorded more shutouts in 24 games this season than he did in 38 games last term (7).
- Since Nigel Pearson became Watford manager, Troy Deeney has scored 42% of the Hornets' Premier League goals (5/12). He's scored more goals in eight Premier League games under Pearson than he did in his previous 19 appearances in the competition (4).
- Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored five goals in six Premier League appearances under Carlo Ancelotti this season - as many as he'd netted in 16 games under Marco Silva and Duncan Ferguson in 2019-20.
Charlie's prediction
This is another belter. Everton are sitting pretty in 12th on 30 points. If Watford win, they close the gap to four points. I have done enough of Everton this season, and I still cannot work them out. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been brilliant, their best player by a mile, but I do not get the midfield or the balance at the back. Bernard can be taken off after 45 or 60 minutes - he creates stuff, but he just does not score. I am so unsure of them and cannot make them out. Watford's honesty is probably going to get them over the line here.
CHARLIE PREDICTS: Watford 2-1 Everton (10/1 with Sky Bet)
Super 6: Hornets to bounce back?
Watford suffered their first loss in seven with defeat to Aston Villa, but can they rediscover their form against Carlo Ancelotti's Everton? Just under 30 per cent think so. Where will you play your cards, with £250k to be won? Play Super 6 for free.
