Watford set their sights upon automatic promotion with the visit of Forest

Watford will be aiming to ramp up their automatic promotion charge this Saturday as they do battle with Nottingham Forest.

Since the appointment of new manager Xisco Munoz, the Hornets have been resurgent, winning nine of fourteen fixtures, revitalising hopes of returning to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

After Brentford succumbed to a 1-0 reverse at Championship pacesetters Norwich City during the week, Watford find themselves locked on 63 points with the Bees. Separated only by goal difference and having tasted victory in five out of their last matches, they will be quietly confident of dislodging Thomas Frank’s side and taking charge of second place.

Standing in their way is Chris Hughton’s Nottingham Forest. Having endured a rocky start to the campaign, Forest have become a different prospect of late, recording key victories over Blackburn Rovers, Wycombe Wanderers and Coventry City in recent weeks.

Residing in 16^th position on 40 points, sitting eight points clear of Rotherham United in 22^nd, Forest should have no concerns about being dragged into a late relegation scrap. However, in the notoriously topsy-turvy Championship, nothing is to be taken for granted, and they will be keen to continue padding their points tally.

Watford drew level with second place Brentford on Wednesday evening, seeing off Wycombe Wanderers 2-0 at Vicarage Road.

In a game which saw midfielder Philip Zinckernagel handed a debut, an Andre Gray brace proved to be the difference on the night.

For the opener, the forward latched onto Kiko Femenia’s delivery from the right, converting from yards away for only his second strike of the season. The Hornets were upping the ante, Ismaila Sarr coming close following a purposeful run, but his bending effort drifted wide.

The Chairboys managed to avoid further punishment for the remainder of the half, however, the mounting pressure ultimately took its toll in the 57^th minute.

Debutant Zinckernagel played an incisive pass to Gray, who duly slid past David Stockdale in the Wycombe goal to double up his tally. Zinckernagel almost went one better in the latter stages, but Stockdale was equal to his attempt.

Watford manager Xisco Munoz reserved high praise for the Dane, Zinckernagel, speaking glowingly to the Watford Observer after he made his bow:

“I’m happy. I think he was a brilliant addition,” said Munoz. “It was a good performance. It was the first game he played in the first XI. I think he gives good things for for the team.”

Nottingham Forest fell to a desperately disappointing 1-0 defeat in the week as they hosted Luton Town.

Forest were left ruing a plethora of missed first half opportunities. Anthony Knockaert delivered to an unmarked Glenn Murray, who was denied by Luton stopper Simon Sluga. Knockaert was then heavily involved once again, heading over, before Murray scuppered an aerial opportunity of his own.

Sluga, building upon what was becoming an increasingly impressive solo performance, kept Joe Lolley’s powerful sighter at bay, and improbably, the Hatters made it to the break unscathed; having survived 13 efforts on goal from the hosts.

Hughton’s side began the second stanza following the same course, Cafu and Joe Garner wide of the mark with speculative drives from distance. That man again, Sluga, then proved his worth once more, pulling off a fantastic save to keep out Garner’s effort which looked destined to nestle in the bottom corner.

As is so often the case in football, the failure to convert chances is generally punished, and this proved to be outcome. Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu collected possession on the left, picking out Ryan Tunnicliffe, who hit the target to break the deadlock in the 64^th minute.

Despite late opportunities for Lyle Taylor and Cafu, Luton held on to improbably escape Nottinghamshire with all three points.

Forest will aim to bounce back but face a stern prospect, especially when considering Watford have only lost one of the last nine encounters with them, scoring in eight. Saturday could provide a captivating insight into how Hughton’s side will fare in the coming weeks, as they get set to pit their wits against four of the Championship’s top five.

Team News

For the Hornets, having picked up a knee injury during the midweek victory over Wycombe, key cog within the midfield engine room, Tom Cleverley, is set to miss out.

The former Manchester United man is targeting a return after the March international break, meaning he should only be unavailable for four fixtures.

Colombian, Carlos Sanchez, a free agent since departing West Ham last June, was acquired on a short-term deal during the week. He will be available for Saturday’s encounter and could prove to be savvy business considering Cleverley’s ailment, along with Nathaniel Chalobah’s continued absence through suspension.

Forward Joao Pedro returns having served his suspension; however, the Hertfordshire side continue to operate minus the abilities of Ben Foster, Christian Kabasele, Isaac Success, Marc Navarro and Troy Deeney.

Forest boss Chris Hughton will be relieved in that he is devoid of any fresh injury concerns ahead of this contest.

Midfielder Ryan Yates is back in contention, recovering from the reoccurrence of a calf issue which hampered him earlier in the campaign; also causing him to bow out of the previous two fixtures.

Although back in training, Harry Arter and Scott McKenna are unlikely to feature, due to an extended period absent from proceedings, Hughton confirmed when speaking to Nottinghamshire Live:

“Realistically, Harry and Scott are probably still a couple of weeks away because they’ve both been out for a period of time.

But sometimes we can fast-track players if we particularly need them for a game.

It’s just trying to get that right balance with the work they’ve done and making sure that once we do get them back, they’re back for good as opposed to breaking down.”

Finisher extraordinaire, Lewis Grabban, is well along the path to recovery, although Saturday’s lunchtime clash appears to have arrived too soon.

Head to Head

In December’s reverse fixture at the City Ground, Forest halted a run of three consecutive defeats, forcing the visitors to settle for a 0-0 stalemate.

In what was a scrappy affair of few chances, Forest frustrated Watford, nullifying their threat, whilst appearing more likely to break the deadlock.

Joao Pedro almost made a blistering start to the second half, blasting an effort agonisingly wide of the mark having located some space on the edge of the area. Lyle Taylor glanced a header over the bar for the hosts, prior to turning provider. The striker delivered a deliciously deadly low centre for teammate Cafu, who, despite his best efforts, was unable to supply a finishing touch.

Nathaniel Chalobah was fortunate to avoid being given his marching orders. He somehow evaded punishment for a mistimed challenge on Ryan Yates, before ultimately entering the referee’s notebook for a hefty challenge on Cafu. The midfielder then fouled Harry Arter, sparking fury from the Forest contingent upon realising he had escaped further reprimanding once more.

Ultimately, one will never know if the dismissal would have significantly altered the outcome of a game which always seemed destined to end all square.

The two sides have met a total of 52 times across the years, with Forest boasting the narrowest of margins in the overall stakes, 17 victories to Watford’s 16. The additional 19 meetings have resulted in a sharing of the spoils.

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