After beating Norwich last time out, Watford boss Quique Sánchez Flores will be hoping they can continue that winning trend when welcoming Burnley to town this weekend.
Both The Hornets and The Clarets met earlier on in the year on the 19th of January, but the game ended goalless.
Considering that Watford won their first match of the Premier League campaign against Norwich as they won 2-0 away from home they will feel that they can start a run going. Prior to the win, they’d lost 2-1 to Chelsea and been knocked out the Carabao Cup by Everton, not to mention two 0-0 draws when they played both Bournemouth and Sheffield United as well as drawing 1-1 with Tottenham.
Burnley have suffered an indifferent last six games as they destroyed West Ham at Turf Moor, winning 3-0 but that was after a 3-0 loss to Sheffield United; a 4-2 loss to Chelsea and a 2-1 loss to Leicester also occurred, so it depends what side of the Clarets turns up for this match.
The two bosses have met before on one occasion with that being back in September 2016 where Burnley boss Sean Dyche outdid his opponent winning 2-0 thanks to goals from Jeff Hendrick, Michael Keane.
Team News-
The Hornets could play both Troy Deeney and Ismaïla Sarr in the same team for the first time this weekend, with Deeney using the international break to get to full fitness. Winger Sarr was injured playing for Senegal against Congo but his knock has been assessed and it wasn’t as serious as first feared.
Currently out for the 18th placed side is Daniel Bachmann (hamstring), Danny Welbeck (hamstring), Domingos Quina (groin), Roberto Pereyra (hamstring), Sebastian Prödl (knee) and Tom Cleverley (heel) while Christian Kabasele is suspended.
Both Danny Drinkwater and Matej Vydra could return for The Clarets while Johann Berg Gudmundsson (thigh) will remain sidelined.
Quique Sanchez Flores expects a tough challenge when facing Dyche’s men:
“Burnley, is a really good team. The kind of team that is a good example for all of us because they have been working together for a long time, they have their philosophy, simple but really tough, really good and it’s a really uncomfortable opponent.
“We know because they’re strong, they like contact. Their two strikers are very strong and very dangerous from crosses and they are defending like a team really well.”
Burnley boss Sean Dyche spoke on the British managers in the league:
“If you are good, you are good. I’ve never been overly-concerned in English or British managers versus foreign managers.
“I thought Brendan Rodgers did a very good job at Liverpool and what he’s doing at Leicester is a possible breakthrough. Frank Lampard is doing well albeit at a slightly greener end (of his career).
“As an English manager, we need those guys to do well, whoever it is. Eddie, myself included, Graham Potter.
“Mauricio Pochettino is a top manager. I don’t think he will be out the game for long if he chooses. You can’t not respect Jose Mourinho. A legend. He is never short of attention, for the right reasons.”
Head to Head-
Watford Wins- 13
Draws- 10
Burnley Wins- 19