IN-FORM Watford will be looking to continue their recent resurgence when they lock horns with Tottenham Hotspur at Vicarage Road on Saturday lunchtime.
Early last month Watford look dead and buried in their battle to beat the drop, yet fast forward six weeks and the Hornets are flying high after winning four of their last five league matches.
Nigel Pearson's appointment has set the wheels in motion for an unexpected great escape which is looking increasingly likely after Watford moved out of the relegation zone last Sunday after shredding Bournemouth 3-0 on the south coast.
By contrast, Spurs last Premier League success was back on Boxing Day against Brighton, however, Jose Mourinho's men showed some mettle when losing 1-0 at home to champions elect Liverpool last weekend.
The Lilywhites managed to pick up their first win of 2020 in midweek when limping past Championship outfit Middlesbrough in the FA Cup on a night where the capital clubs lack of killer instinct in front of goal was once again evident in the absence of talisman Harry Kane.
Indeed, Mourinho made an immediate impact in north London, however, the inconsistencies that plagued Spurs season prior to the “Special Ones” arrival continue to linger.
The Betting Odds
Despite only triumphing in two of their last 17 top-flight road trips, Tottenham are 5/4 (Bet 365) favorites to leave Vicarage Road victorious.
A fourth home league win on the spin for Watford is priced at 23/10 (UniBet) and a second draw of the season between these two sides pays 13/5 (UniBet) with the same firm.
The Betting Angles
Part of Watford's remarkable revival has stemmed from Pearson getting a tune out of Adoulaye Doucoure who has been slotted into a more advanced role behind battering-ram forward Troy Deeney.
The French midfielder scored and assisted a goal in last weekend's vital win at the Vitality Stadium and after netting against Wolves at this venue on New Year's Day, I like the look of backing Doucoure to have at least one shot on target against Tottenahm at 8/5 (PaddyPower) – a bet that would have banked profit in each of Watford's last three Premier League matches.
It may also pay dividends to delve into the card markets for this clash given that Tottenham and Watford are the second and third-most ill-disciplined sides in the division respectively – both teams are averaging over two cards per game this term.
What's more, Watford have picked up three yellows and one red card in each of their last two league outings on home turf and they will be coming up against a Tottenham team who have racked up 11 cards in their last three league games away from home.
With that in mind, I'm going to back over 3.5 match cards at 4/5 (Bet365) – a bet that would have clicked in Watford's last three league games at home, as well as Spurs' last three top-flight road trips.
In considering who will come out on top in this tussle, Tottenham certainly don't tempt me given their sustained bout of travel sickness, coupled with their well documented defensive deficiencies – Spurs have only keep two clean sheets in 22 Premier League outings thus far.
Backing Watford with a +0.25 goal on the asian handicap looks attractively priced at 24/25 (Bet 365) however, Spurs have scored in 11 of the 14 matches that Mourinho has taken charge of – 10 of which have seen both teams get on the scoresheet.
Even without star-striker Harry Kane, the Portuguese still has a number of potent attacking options to turn towards, but the Londoners are leaking goals and therefore I fancy both teams to find the back of the net on Saturday afternoon at 7/10 (SportingBet)
This English Premier League match between Watford and Tottenham will be played on Jan 18, 2020 and kick off at 12:30. Check below for our tipsters best Watford vs Tottenham prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
