Manchester United have done a good job during the midweek in the much awaited return to Champions League football. A trip to Atletico Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano and facing a Diego Simeone side is never easy. However, United managed to earn a draw and the chance to have the tie resolved at their own turf, without having to chase a deficit from the first match. Now, the attention is back on Premier League, as United will be facing Watford. This team owes the Devils a lot from their first meeting this season and after the wins against Brighton and Leeds, another win would put them in an even stronger position in the race for top four.
Team News
Man United should not have many issues with their starting XI. We know that Edinson Cavani will not feature due to his groin problem, while Scott McTominay was ill and will therefore not be part of the matchday squad. This means Rangnick will only have to make slight alterations in midfield, probably with Paul Pogba featuring in that role. Apart from that, we should expect a similar team to what we have been accustomed to, although it will be interesting to see whether Alex Telles could get a chance in the team ahead of Luke Shaw.
As for Watford, there are just two players confirmed to miss the Saturday game. Nicolas Nkoulou and Peter Etebo will not feature as they are still building up their match fitness. Juraj Kucka and Joao Pedro had problems with knocks they recently got, but it seems they will be ready to be part of this match. Also, Tom Cleverly and Joshua King, former Man United players, will be part of the team at Old Trafford, hoping to help Watford avoid defeat.
Form Guide
Manchester United will have a chance to make it three wins in three in the Premier League for the first time since early December and wins against Arsenal, Crystal Palace and Norwich. Their 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid was far from exhilarating, but it was a good result against champions of Spain away from home. United’s recent results started getting better and their performance against Leeds last weekend was also exciting for the fans as well. But let’s see what this game will bring us. Last time United met Watford, the Devils were thrashed 4-1 and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked afterwards.
Watford, on the other hand, have played 14 matches since that United’s humiliation at Vicarage Road and have won one – yes, one! – match. It happened recently, against Aston Villa, beating them 1-0 away from home. They lost to the likes of Palace, Brighton, West Ham, Norwich, Leicester, Brentford… Without ever having a real chance of beating them throughout those matches. That’s a pretty solid reason why Man United need to beat them on Saturday.
Predicted Outcome
Considering everything from above, we predicted a comfortable 2-0 win for Manchester United. Their defence should do a good job of stopping Watford’s attack and also, there is plenty of quality in this United team in order to get the much needed three points against a team which humiliated Devils several months ago.
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