On Friday, a pair of undefeated Championship teams will square off when Watford hosts Burnley at Vicarage Road in the third match of the season for both sides, with kickoff at 10 pm.
Following an impressive start to their campaign, we saw a Hornets team similar to the one that struggled mightily in the Premier League last season as they were dominated in possession by the Baggies (70%-30%) and were fortunate to walk away with a draw.
In 2021-22, Rob Edwards led Forest Green Rovers to the League Two title, and he will now be tasked with bringing this side back into the top flight after their last spell lasted only one campaign.
As a former center-back, Edwards must improve a defensive unit that conceded the third-most goals in the Premier League last season (77). At the same time, he will also have to find a way to reinvigorate the confidence of a side that went through three different managers in 2021-22.
Burnley has stayed in the Premier League despite a lack of funding, and they have done so despite selling several players during the summer transfer window. Vincent Kompany has been able to develop some solid early continuity with this group, and he did so by playing in a system at Manchester City designed to maintain possession for long stretches.
Watford vs. Burnley Head to Head
Both sides have 21 games against each other, with hosts taking four wins while visitors with nine wins. Here is a look at their previous encounter:
Home
- West Brom 1-1 Watford
- Watford 1-0 Sheffield United
- Watford 0-0 Southampton
- Wycombe Wanderers 1-4 Watford
Away
- Burnley 1-1 Luton Town
- Huddersfield 0-1 Burnley
- Shrewsbury Town 1-3 Burnley
- Burnley 1-0 Rochdale
Watford Team News
Sarr scored his first goal of the season for Watford in their previous match, with Craig Cathcart providing an assist, as Sarr and Joao Pedro are the only Watford players to score in the league so far this season. Bachmann made three saves in their opening home fixture to collect his first clean sheet of the season.
Burnley Team News
Josh Brownhill scored his first goal of the new season for Burnley this weekend after Ian Maatsen had the only tally in their opening domestic fixture against Huddersfield. Charlie Taylor, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, and Connor Roberts made life relatively easy for Arijanet Muric, as the goalkeeper from Kosovo did not have to make a single save in their shutout victory.
Prediction and Odds
Burnley looks more comfortable under their new system, and we expect the Clarets’ energy and aggressiveness to help them win against Watford at home.
- Away Win
- Both Teams to Score
- Goals Over 1.5
