English Premier League Soccer - Chelsea vs. Watford, 7/4/20 - Preview, Prediction & Odds

Having failed to win any of their last four outings, 17h-placed Watford will try to improve their chances of survival while paying a visit to 4th-placed Chelsea, who just snapped a five-game triumph run in all competitions with a defeat at West Ham. Kick-off - at 15:00 PM ET on Saturday, July 4.

Chelsea Lose London Derby

A five-game winning streak in all competitions came to an end for Chelsea, who were edged out with a count of 3-2 by West Ham United in their London derby at London Stadium on Wednesday. After witnessing a Hammers’ goal disallowed by VAR for offside in the first half, Willian opened the scoring from the penalty spot just before the interval before tying the game at 2-2 with a direct free-kick with 18 minutes remaining, only for the hosts to grab the win in the 89th minute of the match. The Blues have now ended a five-game unbeaten run in the league (W4 D1), currently sitting 4th in the standings (W16 D6 L10), just two points above 5th-placed Manchester United and 6th-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Having netted 13 times in the league thus far this year, English forward Tammy Abraham leads Chelsea in scoring. Spaniard Kepa Arrizabalaga, meanwhile, occupies the 21st position in Premier League’s goalkeeper chart with 47 saves. He has registered six clean sheets in 28 contests this season and allows a goal every 68 minutes of play. Chelsea has netted the 4th highest quantity of EPL goals during the ongoing campaign (57) while taking the 2nd highest amount of shots per game (16.6). The team is 3rd in ball possession (57.3%) and 2nd in passing accuracy (84.9%).

Watford Get Beaten By Saints

The hopes of remaining in the Premier League for another season were dealt a further blow for Watford, who lost their second consecutive game, extending their winless streak to four matches (D1 L3), after dropping a 3-1 home decision against Southampton at Vicarage Road last Sunday. The Hornets gave away 52% of ball possession, were outshot 11-8 and failed to muster a single attempt on target, with their only snipe coming from a Saints’ own-goal with 11 minutes remaining after the visitors were already leading 2-0. Watford have won just one of their last 10 EPL fixtures (W1 D3 L6), sitting 17th in the standings (W6 D10 L16), just one point above the bottom three.

Hornets captain Troy Deeney leads his team with six Premier League snipes this year but has scored just once in his last eight appearances. Goalie Ben Foster, meanwhile, sits 7th in the league with 97 saves. He has recorded nine clean sheets in 32 games this season and concedes a goal every 59 minutes on average. Watford has buried the 3rd lowest amount of goals during the ongoing campaign (29) while delivering the 13th highest quantity of shots per game (11.1). The team is 3rd from the bottom in ball possession (44.4%) and 3rd worst in passing accuracy (73.3%).



Prediction

Watford are not doing well at the moment, having managed to win just one of their last 10 Premier League contests (W1 D3 L6), currently sitting just a single point above the relegation zone. The Hornets have mustered just one victory in their previous 17 encounters with Chelsea in all competitions (W1 D3 L13) and will be facing an in-form Blues team, which saw just a tremendous effort by struggling West Ham United end its five-game winning run in all competitions. Despite their undoings, Watford have, however, gone on the scoreboard quite often, with five of their last nine league contests ending with both teams scoring, with the Hornets netting at least a goal in six of those fixtures. Six of the past seven meetings between Watford and Chelsea have also witnessed both sides on the scoresheet, with two of the very last three finishing with a count of 2-1 - the same score the Blues have posted in three of their last four EPL victories.

Best bets:

Chelsea to win and both teams to score (+210)

Correct score: 2-1 to Chelsea (+710)

Christian Pulisic to score anytime (+145)

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