English Premier League Soccer - Watford vs. Leicester City, 6/20/20 - Preview, Prediction & Odds

Currently battling to avoid relegation, 17th-placed Watford is playing host to 3rd-placed Leicester City, who have managed to win just one of their last five games. Kick-off - at 7:30 AM ET on Saturday, June 20.

Watford Remain Inconsistent

The enforced break because of the coronavirus pandemic snapped quite a miserable run of results for Watford. After going unbeaten for six straight Premier League fixtures between Dec. 22-Jan. 18 (W4 D2), starting with a 2-0 win against Manchester United and ending with a scoreless draw versus Tottenham Hotspur, the Hornets have managed to collect just four points in six matches since (W1 D1 L4). They have failed to score in two of their past three outings (W1 L2), squeezing a sensational 3-0 home victory against league leaders Liverpool in between 3-0 and 1-0 road losses at Manchester United and Crystal Palace respectively. With a W6 D9 L14 record, Watford is level on points with 18th-placed Bournemouth and 16th-placed West Ham United, sitting 17th only due to goal difference.

English striker Troy Deeney leads the Hornets with six goals but has recorded just one strike in his last five Premier League appearances. Goalie Ben Foster, meanwhile, sits 6th in England's top-flight with 89 saves. He has collected nine clean sheets in 29 games this season, allowing a goal every 59 minutes on average. Watford have netted the 4th lowest amount of league goals this year (27), while taking the 13th highest quantity of shots per game (11.4). The team is 3rd from the bottom in both ball possession (44.5%) and passing accuracy (74.1%).

Leicester Snap A Losing Skid

Leicester City was entering the coronavirus break on the back of a 4-0 home victory against Aston Villa, with Jamie Vardy and Harvey Barnes both netting a brace each, as the team snapped a two-game losing streak in the league, having recorded 1-0 defeats versus Manchester City and Norwich City prior. The Foxes have won just one of their past five Premier League outings (W1 D2 L2) and are without a triumph on three straight league travels (D1 L2), having failed to bank an away goal for 237 minutes since Barnes tallied at Burnley on Jan. 19. Nevertheless, the team is 3rd in the Premier League (W16 D5 L8), trailing 2nd-placed Manchester City by seven points.

With 19 strikes buried this season, English marksman Vardy tops Leicester and the whole Premier League in goals. Kasper Schmeichel, meanwhile, occupies the 9th place in the league’s goalkeeper chart, having stopped 80 shots thus far this year. He has recorded 10 clean sheets in 29 games during the current campaign and concedes a goal every 93 minutes of play. The Foxes have scored the 3rd highest quantity of snipes this season (58), while delivering the 5th highest number of shots per contest (14). The team is 4th in ball possession (54.4%) and 5th in passing accuracy (82.4%).

Prediction

Leicester City have managed to bank just a single victory on their five trips to Watford in the Premier League era (W1 D1 L3), losing the very last three with a count of 2-1. A similar result is not out of the question on Saturday. Especially with the Foxes having struggled on the road lately, going without a triumph for three straight travels (D1 L2). The Hornets have dropped just one of their last seven domestic contests (W4 D2 L1) and will be extra motivated to collect all three points here given their unfortunate positioning in the league at the moment.

Best bet:

Watford to win (+260)

Correct score: 2-1 to Watford (+2300)

Troy Deeney to score anytime (+195)