The Premier League weekend will be completed when Arsenal visits Watford FC in a match-up that all the projectionists, prognosticators and bookies see as very evenly matched. The Hornets are one of the four Premier League teams trying to stake a claim as the “best of the rest” side after the traditional “big six.”
Arsenal are one of four teams fighting to get one of the final two top four/UEFA Champions League qualification slots. If the Gunners don’t make it in the end, the primary reason will likely be their very poor away from home form. Three points have been difficult to come by on the road for the north London side this season.
Let’s take a look at who Unai Emery may select in his first team, in an effort to change that trend.
Arsenal FC Starting XI Prediction (4-3-3) vs Watford
Attacking Players: Alex Iwobi, Alexandre Lacazette, Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Midfielders: Matteo Guendouzi, Lucas Torreira
Back line/wing backs: Sead Kolasinac, Nacho Monreal Laurent Koscielny, Shkodran Mustafi, Ainsley Maitland-Niles
Goalkeeper: Bernd Leno
Arsenal at Watford FYIs
Kickoff- Monday Apr 15, Vicarage Road 8pm
Injury report for both sides: go to this link
Odds: Arsenal 5/4, Draw 13/5, Watford 23/10
Match official- Andre Marriner
Form Guide: Arsenal- LWWDW – WLLWL
Google Result Probability- Arsenal win 43%, Draw 26%, Watford win 31%
Prediction: Watford 3, Arsenal 2
Hornets won last year’s meeting at Vicarage Road 2-1, and given recent trends, we’re picking them to take this one too.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.