Watford vs. Arsenal: Preview and betting tips

Arsenal travel to Watford on Sunday. If they want to realistically challenge for the Champions League, they must win at the newcomer’s ground. However, the home side are picking up in terms of performance and points and will be looking to follow up their draw with Manchester United in the last round with another robbery at the favourite.

Watford are suffering from a bad winter and despite some sympathetic performances are languishing in nineteenth place. On the other hand, it has lost only one of its last three games and the gap to the non-relegation positions is only three points.

Arsenal are putting in their best and certainly most consistent performance in years this season. They are sixth in the table, just two points behind fourth-placed Manchester United and have three games in hand. Could the Gunners be playing in the Champions League again after all these years?

Striker Emanuel Dennis is one of the most productive players in the league, scoring nine goals and assisting five times so far. Senegal’s Africa Cup of Nations winner Ismaila Sarr has opened the net five times and assisted on one goal.

The Gunners also have a nine-goal scorer, with Emile Smith-Rowe adding two assists despite playing only 64 percent of the possible game time. The master of the forward and final pass boasts a 4+3 record.

Watford have improved their defensive work under the new coach, keeping a clean sheet in three of the last six rounds under the experienced Roy Hodgson.

Even Arsenal’s defence is working well by the standards of recent years, with the Gunners conceding just twice in the last four rounds.

Given the Gunners form, I think they will win and score at least two goals. The longer preparation time also plays into their hands, as Arsenal didn’t play last weekend.