Premier League: Burnley Vs Watford – Match preview

A victory in this ‘six-pointer’ against Watford would be a good starting point, although a weekend postponement, FA Cup humiliation and losing their number nine to a relegation rival is hardly ideal preparation for the ‘Clarets’.

Burnley

One win from their last 17 Premier League outings leaves Burnley with a mountain to climb if they are to avoid the dreaded drop. A victory in this ‘six-pointer’ against Watford would be a good starting point, although a weekend postponement, FA Cup humiliation and losing their number nine to a relegation rival is hardly ideal preparation for the ‘Clarets’. It’s hard to find a silver lining for Burnley at the moment, and their task could be heightened by this rearranged clash now falling on a Tuesday – strangely Sean Dyche’s side have actually lost three of their last four Premier League Tuesday games. If Burnley are to pull themselves off the bottom then their home form must improve after they secured just two home Premier League wins throughout 2021, alongside the worst points per game average across England’s top four divisions.

Watford

Watford will arrive at Turf Moor firmly on a high, after a late João Pedro goal secured a 1-1 draw against relegation rivals Newcastle last time out. However, their confidence could well be quashed, as like Burnley they possess a similarly unimpressive Premier League record on a Tuesday, losing five of their last six away games to fall on this day and conceding 2 goals in each defeat. Scoring at Turf Moor hasn’t been a problem for 17th-placed Watford, averaging over a goal per game across their last 12 visits, but winning here has been an issue as they’ve managed just one win during that period. In what is likely to be a tense affair, the first goal could be crucial, but Watford have conceded first in seven of their nine Premier League away outings this season – recovering to win just one of those.

Burnley’s James Tarkowski has netted two goals in his last four Premier League H2Hs with Watford, and played part of a back line that boasts a clean sheet in the last three H2Hs. He will be trying to keep Watford talisman Emmanuel Dennis quiet, who has 13 goal involvements this season. Watford have gone 17 away Premier League games without a clean sheet.