Watford VS Arsenal Match Prediction

In this, the 24th match to be contested between the two sides, Watford have a chance to draw level with Arsenal.  So far, the Hornets have 11 wins, a draw, and 12 losses to the Gunners.

Here's a look at the last five results:

Sep 29, 2018: Arsenal 2-0 Watford
Mar 11, 2018: Arsenal 3-0 Watford
Oct 14, 2017: Watford 2-1 Arsenal
Jan 31, 2017: Arsenal 1-2 Watford
Aug 27, 2016: Watford 1-3 Arsenal

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WAT vs ARS FC Betting Tips and Odds

Bet365 have the following odds available for this match:

Watford are at 23/10 to win, a draw is at 13/5, and an Arsenal win is at 11/10.

Watford will come into this round of fixtures in tenth place in the league with 46 points.  No matter what happens prior to kick off, they will be no lower than that.  Should they win, and results elsewhere go their way, they could rise up to seventh place.  At the moment, they are just one point adrift of Leicester and Wolves and only trail Everton by goal difference.  They have had a great season, but the last few outings haven’t been all rosy.  They are in the FA Cup Final, but they have lost three of their last five total.

Arsenal, meanwhile, will begin the round in fifth place with 63 points as things currently stand.  They are two points ahead of Manchester United and just a point back of Tottenham in the race for the Champions League that is boiling over.  It’s been back and forth in it, and largely that has been done to their away form.  In their last five matches, they have three wins and ten points to show, though they did lose last time out to set them back again.

At home, the Hornets have been pretty average.  They have the 11th best record in the top flight there with 26 points from 15 matches.  They have eight wins and five draws, but they have really picked up the pace here in the last few weeks.  In their last five matches, they have gone unbeaten at Vicarage Road, picking up three wins (all in a row) and two draws to yield 11 points.  This is a very big task for Arsenal and that can’t be overstated.

The Gunners’ problem has been their away form so far, and it shows in the league table if you were to only take matches played on the road into account.  It’s only been good enough for them to be 10th with just 19 points from 15 games on their excursions so far.  That has put tremendous pressure upon them to play well at home, and it has them still fighting for a place in the Champions League slots when they could be in them comfortably with better away results.  They have only one win and four points from their last five away league fixtures, carrying over an alarming trend from last term.

Betfair have both teams scoring at 1.47.

Deulofeu to score anytime, via Ladbrokes, is at 21/10.

Watford vs Arsenal Prediction

You’d have thought that once Wenger left that Arsenal would turn it around away from home, but that just hasn’t been the case.  With so much hinging on this match, they could really use a win but they won’t find it against a stubborn and underrated Hornets squad.

Correct Score Prediction: Watford 2-1 Arsenal

Watford Team News

Javi Gracia is missing center back Tommie Hoban due to injury, but otherwise look set to have a full team as they host the Gunners.

Watford Key Man

Gracia lit a fire under the behind of Gerard Deulofeu by not starting him in the FA Cup semi, and the Spaniard responded with aplomb to lead the Hornets to a famous comeback win.  He scored twice, including the winner in extra time, to send them through in stunning fashion.  Troy Deeney, a known Arsenal ‘hater’ will also be worth a watch here.  He’s loved tormenting the Gunners over the years, and he’s about as icy cool as it gets when at the spot.  He’s a candidate to add to his nine goals on the season by plundering another against the Londoners.

Watford Team Form

Watford have three wins and two losses in their last five matches:

3-2 home win vs Wolves (FA Cup)
4-1 home win vs Fulham
2-1 loss at Manchester United
2-1 home win vs Crystal Palace (FA Cup)
3-1 loss at Manchester City

Watford Predicted Starting Line up

Expected Line up: 4-3-1-2

Arsenal Team News

Unai Emery will be unable to call upon center back Rob Holding, right back Hector Bellerin, midfielder Granit Xhaka, or forward Danny Welbeck due to injury woes.

Arsenal Key Man

The root of the problem for the Gunners all season long has been their propensity for letting in goals, and a big factor in that is goalkeeper Bernd Leno, who has let one or two slip in that shouldn’t have.  If they want to achieve a top four place, he will have to be at his absolute best here in this encounter.  Going forward, one of the division’s top scorers, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the man to keep close watch on.  He’s scored 17 goals and also has piled up five assists thus far and could be just what they need to finally win away once more.  

Arsenal Team Form

Arsenal have four wins and a loss in their last five matches:

2-0 home win vs Napoli (UEL)
1-0 loss at Everton
2-0 home win vs Newcastle
3-0 home win vs Rennes (UEL)
2-0 home win vs Manchester United

Arsenal Predicted Starting Line up

Expected Line up: 3-4-3

Watford will come into this match riding a massive high having come from two goals behind to beat Wolves at Wembley to reach the FA Cup Final next month. It's a marvelous accomplishment, but that's not all for them. They are fighting toward seventh place, and they can reach that goal and double down on their success with a win here. And it looks pretty likely, judging by Arsenal's poor away record. They've only beaten poor sides recently, and not convincingly, so it's a tough ask of them here.

Arsenal have just one win in their last seven away matches and only have two wins from their last 12 in all competitions.