Watford vs. Liverpool: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info
Watford host Liverpool in the early kick-off (1:30 p.m. GMT) on Sunday in the Premier League, with the home side looking to make it four consecutive wins ahead of Christmas.
The visitors, meanwhile, are without a win in their last three games, having lost to Newcastle United and stumbled to draws against FC Sion and West Bromwich Albion since hammering Southampton 6-1 in the League Cup.
Jurgen Klopp knows his side need to start picking up three points in order to move up the league table, where they currently sit ninth—a point and two places behind Quique Sanchez Flores' in-form Hornets.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
"Watford are playing very well and have good strikers, quick in their minds. But we don't go there to clap our hands for them," Klopp said before the match, per BBC Sport.
"He's a very positive manager. He's always thinking about good, offensive football," Flores said of Klopp pre-match, per the Daily Mail.
"He wants to learn about the Premier League. It's new for him. He's tried to use variants during the games."
Klopp will again be forced to change things up against Watford on Sunday, with James Milner ruled out with a calf injury he suffered in training ahead of the game.
These two sides haven't met since 2007, a game that saw Peter Crouch and Craig Bellamy give Rafa Benitez's side a 3-0 victory. Watford finished that campaign bottom of the Premier League table and have spent the eight years since in the Championship.
Date: Sunday, 20 December, 2015
Time: 1:30 p.m. GMT / 8:30 a.m. ET
Venue: Vicarage Road, Watford
TV Info: Sky Sports (UK) / NBCSN (U.S.)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK) / NBCSN Live Extra (U.S.)
Form Lines
Watford
Won 1-0 vs. Sunderland
Won 2-0 vs. Norwich City
Won 3-2 vs. Aston Villa
Lost 2-1 vs. Manchester United
Lost 2-1 vs. Leicester City
Liverpool
Drew 2-2 vs. West Bromwich Albion
Drew 0-0 vs. FC Sion (Europa League)
Lost 2-0 vs. Newcastle United
Won 6-1 vs. Southampton (League Cup)
Won 1-0 vs. Swansea City
Team News
Watford have an almost fully fit squad to choose from, with Valon Behrami and Sebastian Prodl likely to be available after slight calf problems, per BBC Sport.
For Liverpool, Klopp is without Dejan Lovren after he was injured in a challenge with Craig Gardner last week, but thankfully, they have Mamadou Sakho back to fitness just in time to replace him.
Milner's injury means Klopp could bring Lucas Leiva back into midfield, moving Emre Can into a more advanced role than the holding one he played last week against West Brom. That would mean a midfield three of Lucas, Can and Jordan Henderson.
Up front, Klopp has a dilemma over whether to stick with Christian Benteke or start either of Roberto Firmino or Divock Origi.
Incredibly, Origi's goal against West Brom last week put him just one goal behind the Reds' joint top scorers for the campaign, Benteke and Philippe Coutinho, who have a rather paltry five goals each. The statistic shows where Liverpool's problems lie this season.
Predicted Lineups
Watford: Gomes, Nyom, Cathcart, Britos, Ake, Capoue, Watson, Abdi, Deeney, Jurado, Ighalo
Liverpool: Bogdan, Clyne, Skrtel, Sakho, Moreno, Lucas, Henderson, Can, Coutinho, Lallana, Firmino
Players to Watch
Watford: Odion Ighalo
Watford's Odion Ighalo is certainly a man in form, having scored more goals than anyone in English football in the calendar year. He has 10 goals to his name in his debut Premier League campaign, having scored in each of Watford's last three victories, against Aston Villa, Norwich and Sunderland.
The 26-year-old's clinical finishing and movement up front is something that could cause Liverpool issues. It's also something that Liverpool themselves have been missing of late.
Ighalo's partnership with Troy Deeney has proven especially effective, according to the Guardian's Sachin Nakrani: "This season they have scored 15 goals between them, with five assists for each other—one by Ighalo, four by Deeney—already racked up."
Liverpool: Jordan Henderson
Henderson's return to fitness has been well timed for Liverpool ahead of the festive fixtures. The Reds' captain made his first league start under Klopp's management last week and adds much-needed creativity from midfield. He has two assists and one goal in his four league starts this season.
Last season, the 25-year-old recorded an impressive six goals and 10 assists in the league, with seven goals and 15 assists in all competitions. It's something that is often overlooked, but Henderson's contribution to Liverpool in an attacking sense has been much missed in his two months on the sidelines.
Key Battle: Ighalo and Deeney vs. Skrtel and Sakho
As Sakho and Skrtel look to partner up again in Liverpool's defence, they'll come up against a real throwback front-two pairing in Ighalo and Deeney. It's something that not many teams have adopted in the modern era and could provide plenty of problems for the Reds' duo.
For that reason, Klopp will likely bring in Lucas for Milner to offer more protection for the centre-backs, allowing Can and Henderson to get forward and provide the energy in midfield.
Odds (via Odds Shark)
Watford: 7/2
Liverpool: 100/133
Draw: 13/5
Prediction: Watford 2-2 Liverpool
