Watford vs. Arsenal Preview
Where: Vicarage Road, Watford
When: Saturday, August 27, 10:00 AM ET
Line: Arsenal -151 at Watford +385, tie +230; total: 2.5 – view all Premier League lines
TV Broadcast: NBC Sports App
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Betting on Watford (+385)
Things are going from bad to worse for new manager Walter Mazzarri. After grabbing just a single point in his opening two league matches against Southampton and Chelsea, the Italian saw his side crash out of the EFL Cup with a stunning 2-1 loss to third-tier Gillingham. It won’t get any easier for Watford this coming Saturday as standing in their way in their next match are 13-time league champions Arsenal. The Hornets have never won against the Gunners in their six total Premier League meetings.
For Watford to record their first win of the season against Arsenal, they will need to improve on their ball possession. The Hornets only had 38 percent of the possession in their last match against Chelsea. As a result, they were outshot by the London outfit in attempts (13-6) and in the shots on target department (4-2).
To address Watford’s lack of offensive thrust, the Hornets top brass decided to sign Roberto Pereyra from Juventus in a £13m move. Mazzarri knows top striker Troy Deeney requires accurate crosses to be effective in the box, and he believes Pereyra has the passing skills necessary to execute those type of plays. The Argentine is eager to prove himself in the English top flight after playing just nine times in Serie A for Juventus last season.
The Hornets are pegged at +100,000 to win the Premier League title this year.
Betting on Arsenal (-151)
Arsenal’s Premier League campaign is off to a rocky start after enduring a frustrating 0-0 stalemate against Leicester City on Saturday. The Gunners have grabbed just a single point in their opening two matches as they slid down to 13thplace in the team standings. Just two games into the new season, Arsenal are already five points behind title rivals Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea in the league table.
That being said, the Gunners will take heart in the fact that they produced a much better defensive performance this time around against Leicester compared to their opening match against Liverpool. Laurent Koscielny’s return to the Arsenal backline helped boost a Gunners defense that surrendered four goals at the Emirates in their season-opener. Unfortunately for manager Arsene Wenger, the Gunners’ much-vaunted attack was the one missing in action in their game against the Foxes.
Arsenal will need to bring all their attacking flair if they are to grab that important first win against Watford this coming weekend. The onus then is on Olivier Giroud and Alexis Sanchez to inject some life to the Arsenal offense. Giroud and Sanchez, who scored a combined 29 goals for the Gunners in the league last season, have yet to open their accounts this campaign.
The Gunners are pegged at +1,000 to win the Premier League title this season.
Writer’s Prediction
Arsenal (-151) enters the win column with a resounding 3-0 victory.
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