English Premier League Soccer - Burnley vs. Watford, 6/25/20 - Preview, Prediction & Odds
After ending a seven-game unbeaten run with a heavy defeat against Manchester City, 11th-placed Burnley will try to get back on track with a home outing against 16th-placed Watford, who sit just a single point above the bottom three. Kick-off - at 13:00 PM ET on Thursday, June 25.
Burnley Get Battered By City
The first contest back from the three-month lay-off due to the coronavirus pandemic turned into a nightmare for Burnley, who were thrashed with a score of 5-0 by Manchester City at Etihad Stadium on Monday. Playing without injured strikers Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood, who have combined for half of Clarets’ 34 league goals this season, and having a string of other players off contract at the end of June, the Lancashire club managed to name just seven substitutes instead of the allowed nine and didn’t do much better on the pitch, controlling the ball just 28% of the time and being outshot 19-1. The defeat ended Burnley’s seven-game unbeaten run (W4 D3), with the team now sitting 11th in the EPL (W11 D6 L13), five points below the top-seven.
Both Wood and Barnes, who lead the Clarets with 11 and six league goals respectively, will not return to face Watford. Goalie Nick Pope, though, will be eager to add to his current 91-save tally, currently positioning him in the 6th place in the Premier League. The Englishman has recorded 11 clean sheets in 30 contests this season and concedes a goal every 60 minutes on average. Burnley are 13th in most goals scored this year (34), 3rd in the least shots taken per game (10.1), 2nd from the bottom in ball possession (42.7%), and bottom of the league in passing accuracy (68.6%).
Watford Share Points With Leicester
Watford returned to Premier League action on a positive note, earning a 1-1 draw against 3rd-placed Leicester City at home at Vicarage Road on Saturday. The Hornets controlled the ball just 32% of the time and were outshot 15-8, but still managed to squeeze out a point after center-back Craig Dawson tied the game at 1-1 with an acrobatic volley three minutes into injury time after the visitors opened the scoring in the 90th minute. Watford has now gone W1 D3 L4 in their last eight EPL fixtures after going unbeaten for five outings prior (W4 D1). The team is 16th in the standings (W6 D10 L14), sitting just a single point above the bottom three.
Watford’s captain Troy Deeney tops the team’s scoring table with six markers, with Senegalese winger Ismaila Sarr sitting 2nd with five snipes. Goalie Ben Foster, meanwhile, is 7th in the Premier League with 90 saves. He has registered nine clean sheets in 30 appearances this year and gives up a goal every 60 minutes on average. The Hornets have scored the 2nd lowest number of goals this season (28), while delivering the 13th highest quantity of shots per game (11.3). The team is 3rd from the bottom in both ball possession (44.3%) and passing accuracy (73.8%).
Prediction
The prolonged break due to the coronavirus outbreak has not been kind to Burnley. The team was riding a seven-game unbeaten run (W4 D3) prior to the postponement of sports all around the world, but is returning to action with injuries to key players and with a substantial hole in its overall troops, with a string of players running out of contract at the end of June. Naming just seven substitutes instead of the allowed nine, with two of them being goalies and another two - inexperienced youngsters, just shows the extent of the crisis the Clarets are currently going through, giving desperate teams like Watford, currently battling for Premier League survival, a good chance against them. Burnley have a good past record versus the Hornets (W3 D1 L1 in the last five EPL meetings). The team just doesn’t have the squad to prolong it!
Best bet:
Watford to win (+140)