Watford continue their quest to avoid relegation as they travel to a deflated Burnley side.
This comes following The Clarets’ thumping 5-0 defeat against Manchester City on Sunday.
Burnley Could Help Watford Avoid Relegation
Sean Dyche will want to put his last game behind him as Burnley seek to bounce back heading into Thursday’s match. The team have been sitting in the middle of the league table and delivering middle-of-the-table performances for most of the season but lacked depth against Pep Guardiola’s ruthless City.
Meanwhile, Watford have been on the rise since Nigel Pearson took over in December and drew 1-1 with Leicester City in their first game since the league restart. A dramatic stoppage-time overhead kick from Craig Dawson shocked the Foxes on Saturday.
The Hornets will certainly be entering the match with higher spirits.
Team News
Last week, Pearson said that all but three of his squad members were fit: Gerard Deulofeu, Daryl Janmaat and Isaac Success were out through injury.
Despite not having any long-term injuries, Burnley failed to fill their substitutes’ bench in their last game. Chris Wood, Ashley Barnes and Johann Berg Gudmundsson are in doubt for Thursday’s clash.
Dyche was forced to give a senior debut to Max Thompson against City due to the lack of experienced players – such as Joe Hart, Jeff Hendrick and Aaron Lennon – available.
Previous Meetings
When the Hornets hosted Burnley earlier this season, they faced a 3-0 defeat to The Clarets. Goals from Chris Wood, James Tarkowski, and a penalty from Ashley Barnes secured the win.
Away to Burnley in the 2018/19 season, Watford won 3-1. A 0-0 draw followed in the return fixture.
Contract News
The main talk coming from Burnley this week has been about Joe Hart leaving at the end of this season. Hart has made just three starts for the Clarets this season, all in cup games.
Lennon is also expected to leave, while there is uncertainty over the future of Hendrick.
Watford will be in good spirits after announcing that Ben Foster has signed a new two-year contract.
What Would the Win Mean?
The Hornets still have games against Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal still ahead of them this season. Beating 11th-placed Burnley could be crucial to gain enough points to avoid relegation.
After 30 games, they’re 16th but only one point clear of the bottom three.
For Burnley, Dyche may be happy with a mid-table finish after so much disruption within his squad.
After their performance on Monday, The Clarets could quite easily lose to Watford despite their run of results prior to the break.
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