Match Preview: Watford v Brighton
Brighton and Hove Albion kick off their 2018-19 Premier League campaign away at Watford. With both teams likely to spend this season looking over their shoulder and the Albion facing a run of four of the top six in their next six games, it already looks as though the clash at Vicarage Road could be classed as a six pointer.
Who are Watford?
Watford were founded in 1881 as Watford Rovers, spending the first 100 years of their existence moving between the second, third and fourth tiers of English football. They were in that bottom tier when Elton John became chairman in 1976, declaring he would lead the team into the top flight. At the time, many people must have wondered just what Elton had been putting up his nose but he appointed Graham Taylor as manager and within seven years Watford were not only a top flight club, but top of the top flight after five games of the 1982-83 season. They finished second that season but have struggled to reach those dizzy heights since, enduring a spell in administration in the early 00’s. They’re current spell of four unbroken seasons in the top flight is their best since those 1980’s glory days.
What are they like now?
The experts may constantly tell us that clubs cannot survive without stability, but Watford say otherwise. They’ve worked through more managers under the stewardship of the Pozzo Family than David Stockdale has had hot dinners, yet the Hornets continue to thrive. Current boss Javi Gracia is the 10th man to fill the hot seat in the past six years and he has a solid enough squad to work with. They’ve gone about their business quietly in this transfer window (essentially, we can’t tell you anyone they’ve signed other than Ben Foster) and seem to be pretty well stocked in midfield with the likes of Tom Cleverley, Gerard Deulofeu, Nathaniel Chalobah, Abdoulaye Doucouré and Will Hughes all familiar names. Watford also have easily the best kit in the Premier League this season.
Which players should we be worried about?
Andre Gray hasn’t exactly set the world on fire since his club-record move to the Hornets, but he has a relatively good record against the Albion having scored four times in six appearances against us across his spells with Brentford and Burnley.
What’s the Albion’s record like against Watford?
We’ve played Watford more than most teams, with 150 previous meetings against the Hornets. Brighton have won 59 of those including our last clash at the Amex in December when Pascal Gross scored the only goal in a 1-0 win. Watford have 51 wins to their name while there have been 40 draws.
What’s the best WeAreBrighton.com memory of Watford away?
The Adam Virgo as a striker experiment gathering pace on our 2004 visit to Vicarage Road, when he volleyed in the only goal in a 1-0 win for the Albion was pretty good. As a general rule though, Watford away is a terrible day out. The town is terrible, the pubs are terrible and it’s very rare that the football is anything other than mediocre, as there being under 2.5 goals in all 11 of our most recent trips show.
What’s the worst WeAreBrighton.com memory of Watford away?
Buying a pack of hotdog sausages and eating them raw on the way back from the Albion’s FA Cup win at Watford under Gus Poyet in 2011. It came as little surprise when one member of the WeAreBrighton.com team was later seen being violently sick onto the train tracks at West Brompton station on the way home.
Who’s played for both sides?
It’s hard to remember in this day and age when the Albion are throwing £22m at an Iranian winger, but when Poyet bought Will Buckley from Watford in the summer of 2011 he became our record buy for £1.5m. Buckley virtually repaid that fee within 20 minutes of his Albion career with THAT debut against Doncaster Rovers. He later forced through a move to link up with Poyet again at Sunderland which has worked out really well for him. He can now be found in League One with Bolton Wanderers after loan spells at Leeds United, Birmingham City and Sheffield Wednesday. Remember when some Brighton fans used to think he was better than Wilfried Zaha…
Other than football, what is Watford famous for?
Beer, which is pretty shocking when you consider the standard of the towns pubs. There used to be several breweries in the town and before Watford became known as the Hornets, their nickname was even The Brewers. These days, it is probably best known for being the home of Warner Bros. Studios, where the Harry Potter movies were filmed (insert joke about Hermione’s Chamber of Secrets here).
Where’s the betting value for Watford v Brighton?
This has all the makings of a draw which you can take at 9/4. It’s the opening day of the season which means both teams will want to keep things tight. Gracia and Chris Hughton are both naturally conservative managers and the Albion only won twice on the road all last season, drawing in this fixture last season and in similar games at Newcastle United, Southampton and Stoke City. Given the aforementioned stat about none of the past 11 games at Vicarage Road having seen over 2.5 goals, back under 2.5 goals at 6/10.
Prediction?
A 0-0 draw and lots of bed wetting about the Albion not having signed a striker.
