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Watford will travel to Crystal Palace on Saturday in the knowledge that anything but a win will see them relegated to the Championship.
Roy Hodgson’s side currently sit 19th in the table and 12 points behind safety, having lost eight of their last ten matches in the English top flight.
Their fate will be sealed come full time at Selhurst Park if they fail to beat the Eagles, who are sitting pretty in 12th after an impressive campaign to date.
A defeat or draw for Watford will see them make an instant return to the Championship, having finished runners-up in the second division in the 20/21 season.
Woeful Watford may leave it too late for Premier League safety
Upon their promotion back to the Premier League in 2015, Watford spent five seasons in the top flight before returning to the Championship after a 19th placed finish. They then finished second in the division behind Norwich City last year, thus sealing a place in the Premier League for the current campaign.
However they are now potentially 90 minutes away from relegation once again after a poor showing in the past few months. An opening day win against Aston Villa, who had spent heavily on the likes of Emi Buendia, Leon Bailey and Danny Ings in the summer, sparked confidence and hope into the side.
Losses to Brighton, Tottenham Hotspur and Wolves would soon follow though, before they claimed victory against fellow relegation strugglers Norwich. They sat 11th in the table after their win against the Canaries, but soon started to slip down the standings following more dropped points.
A mightily impressive 4-1 home win against Manchester United saw the Hornets brush aside a star studded squad, who soon saw the departure of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. However, Watford would soon go on a run of 12 games without a win in all competitions.
Since their victory against United back in November they have won just two games in the league, so there is no surprise that they find themselves in the bottom three.
Watford are also onto their third manager of the season, with the club making their tenth permanent appointment since 2015. Xisco Munoz was hired back in December 2020 and guided them back to the Premier League, only for the Spaniard to be sacked after just nine games into the current season.
Claudio Ranieri would takeover on a two-year contract at the Hertfordshire side, but would soon experience the same fate as his predecessor just three-and-a-half months later. Fellow experienced manager Roy Hodgson came in just a day later but recently announced that he will leave the club at the end of the season, with the 74-year-old saying via BBC Sport:
“I’ve enjoyed my time doing the job. It’s a very demanding world. Obviously, it’s a short-term (deal).
“Certainly, I made it clear it would need to be a short-term one between now and the end of the season. I took that job on and came out of retirement to do that particular job.
“Now that job has unfortunately ended. I don’t think I shall be putting my name forward anymore for further sorties in the world of Premier League football.
“I think I’ve earned the right to step back and enjoy some free time and spend some time with my wife and son.”
As they prepare to travel to south London, Watford fans will surely be preparing for the worst as they approach yet another Premier League relegation, particularly when they come up against a talented Palace side.
Palace approaching end of successful season
Patrick Vieira was appointed as the new Palace boss at the start of July 2021 having previously managed at the Manchester City development squad, New York City FC and Nice after an illustrious career as a player.
The likes of Marc Guehi, Joachim Andersen and Michael Olise all joined the club during a summer transfer window that saw many senior players depart, with the aforementioned additions all going on to play key parts throughout the Eagles’ season. Nine months on from the beginning of the campaign, and the south London outfit find themselves in a comfortable position in the Premier League.
It was by no means the best of starts to their season having gone winless in their opening four games in all competitions and only scoring twice. However, they soon picked up their first victory with a home win against ten-man Spurs.
A run of seven games unbeaten would shortly follow after a defeat away at Liverpool, and Palace’s results would continue to fluctuate until the present day. Their last game would see them come from a goal down away at Southampton to win 2-1, with star man Wilfried Zaha netting in the 92nd minute to steal all the points from the Saints.
Whilst their showing in the Premier League is something to admire and should set them up for a solid campaign next year, Palace’s FA Cup run has been a key highlight.
They reached the semi-finals of the competition for the fifth time in their history after beating Millwall, Hartlepool, Stoke and Everton along the way. Palace would then travel to Wembley to face Champions League holders Chelsea for the third time this season but after a hard fought performance, they lost 2-0.
However such a run in football’s oldest competition is surely a sign of things to come for Vieira and his men, and the upcoming summer transfer window will give them the chance to become even stronger for next season.
They were 4-1 victors in the reverse fixture against Watford back in February, with Jean-Philippe Mateta, Conor Gallagher and Zaha all netting against the Hornets.
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