Arsenal are back on the road again trying to improve their away form, which has been absolutely dreadful this season. The Gunners, who have just two road wins (Huddersfield, Bournemouth) in Premier League competition this season, will head to Vicarage Road to take on 10th place Watford on Monday night.
Arsenal comes in sitting 5th in the table, with a game in hand on both fourth place Chelsea (who are three points ahead of them) and third place Tottenham Hotspur (who currently stand four points ahead of them). Let’s take a look at the fitness situation for both sides.
The Gunners have three players who are confirmed out for the rest of the season: wing back Hector Bellerín (knee), centre back Rob Holding (knee) and forward Danny Welbeck (ankle).
Midfielder Granit Xhaka is a doubt due to a thigh issue.
Shifting over to the hosts now, there are no confirmed absentees for the Hornets. However, several players are doubtful, and the list consists of midfielder Tom Cleverley (calf), forward Gerard Deulofeu (ankle), defender Kiko Femenía (knock), defender Jose Holebas (ankle), and finally forward Adalberto Peñaranda (hamstring).
Watford, despite sitting in mid-table, have a ton to play for this season. They’re in a four way battle to finish seventh, and this year reaching that position could result in a UEFA Europa League berth. The Hornets have also reached the FA Cup final.
Arsenal at Watford FYIs
Kickoff- Monday Apr 15, Vicarage Road 8pm
Arsenal starting XI Prediction: 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.