Preview
Chelsea head to Vicarage Road to face Watford on matchday 14 of the English Premier League 2021/22 season. The Blues are looking to dust the disappointment of a one-all draw with an out-of-form Manchester United side and get back to winning ways. A triumph over Watford would consolidate their place at the top of the table.
Their opponents are not an encouraging outfit at the moment. The weak Hornets have won only two of the last five fixtures; not surprisingly, a 4-1 thumping of Manchester United makes one of the two victories. Good news is that you can watch all the action on Amazon Prime Video.
The Blues are the current league leaders. Their position at the top is deserved; they have an impenetrable backline whose performance is only matched by the club’s free-firing forward. Despite their draw against the Red Devils, the recent 4-0 thumping of Juventus in the UEFA Champions League should scare Watford. Besides, they have lost only one Premier League game this season.
The scarce freak results aside, the Hornets are largely unimpressive. Claudio Ranieri’s side is almost scraping the bottom. It would be exciting to watch how the much-acclaimed coach and his players approach the Chelsea duel. However, given his boys’ current form and track record against Thomas Tuchel’s men, an easy win for the visitors might be on the cards despite Watford currently carrying giant-killers tag.
Expected Lineup
Aside from the few injuries decking the Blues squad, the team is considerably solid. First-choice goalkeeper Edouard Mendy is expected to start, as are defenders Reece James, Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger, Trevoh Chalobah, and Marcos Alonso.
Romelu Lukaku, who started on the bench against Manchester United, is fit. Pundits expect Tuchel to hand him a start against the Hornets alongside Callum Hudson-Odoi and lead Chelsea’s quest to remain at the summit. Midfielders Jorginho, Saul Niguez, and Christian Pulisic are also are likely to start.
The excellent form the team currently enjoys hands Tuchel a selection headache. However, it is a problem he does not have with N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovačić, who have missed a few games due to injuries.
Ben Foster is likely to start given his fine form with his backline fostered by Adam Masina, Craig Cathcart, Kiko Femenia, and William Troost-Ekong. Imran Louza and Tom Cleverley are also in fine form to start, as are Joshua King, Moussa Sissoko, Christian Kabasele, and Emmanuel Bonaventure.
Live Stream
The Watford vs Chelsea duel will be played on Wednesday, December 1, in the Vicarage Road stadium. It is available on live stream exclusively through Amazon Prime.
Expected Result
The Hornets come into the game with a reputation of slaying the big guns. However, Chelsea are exhibiting a high level of gameplay at the moment and may not give Ranieri’s boys a chance to live up to their unofficial credentials. Their ruthless attack and an unforgiving attitude towards bottom feeders make it worse for Watford.
The visitors are likely to get a big win, say, 3-0, and in the process, strengthen their grasp of the first position.