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Watford vs Chelsea Preview: Where to Watch, Live Stream, Team News, Predictions & More

Author:
90 Min
Publish date:
Dec 24, 2018

Watford welcome Chelsea to Vicarage Road on Boxing Day as both sides look to finish 2018 on a positive note.

The Hornets are coming into this one after an impressive 2-0 victory over West Ham on Saturday, propelling them back up to seventh in the Premier League table.

west-ham-united-v-watford-fc-premier-league-5c200aeaa7ba4659c2000015.jpg — Christopher Lee/GettyImages

Meanwhile, Chelsea will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing 1-0 defeat against Leicester which all but ended any title aspirations the Blues may have been holding.

Check out 90min's preview of the Boxing Day fixture below.

How to Watch


When Is Kick-Off?	Wednesday 26th December
What Time Is Kick-Off?	19:30 (GMT)
Where Is it Being Played?	Vicarage Road
TV Channel/Live Stream?	Sky Sports Main Event / Sky Sports Premier League
Referee?	Martin Atkinson

Team News

Javi Gracia previously suggested that Will Hughes and Sebastian Prodl are the closest of Watford's injured players to have a chance of returning to the fray in this one. Otherwise, the Spaniard is unlikely to make many changes to the side that were victorious at the London Stadium on Saturday.

fbl-eng-pr-chelsea-leicester-5c200b0ebf00e573d7000001.jpg — GLYN KIRK/GettyImages

Andreas Christensen is the only player who will certainly be unavailable for Chelsea, but Maurizio Sarri could also be without the likes of Victor Moses and Alvaro Morata. The Italian manager may want to tinker with the starting XI after the disappointing result against Leicester, which could mean that Olivier Giroud is in line for a rare Premier League start.

Predicted Lineups


Watford	Foster; Femenia, Cathcart, Kabasele, Holebas; Doucoure, Capoue, Quina; Pereyra, Deulofeu, Deeney.
Chelsea	Kepa; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Luiz, Alonso; Jorginho, Kante, Barkley; Pedro, Hazard, Giroud.

Head to Head Record

Chelsea have the upper hand when it comes to head to head results between the two sides, winning 17 of the previous 33 encounters. Watford have won ten, whilst six have ended up finishing all square.

watford-v-chelsea-premier-league-5c200ee6adb9d79410000001.jpg — Catherine Ivill/GettyImages

Last season both sides earned a home victory over one another, with Chelsea winning 3-1 at Stamford Bridge and Watford winning 4-1 at Vicarage Road. Watford's win was the first they had recorded over Chelsea since 1999.

Recent Form

Watford have enjoyed a positive season so far and are sitting in seventh place as a result. They are in fine fettle of late, having won two games on the bounce and, if they can pick up a win on Wednesday, then they could give themselves the opportunity of leapfrogging Manchester United into sixth place.

watford-fc-v-cardiff-city-premier-league-5c200f0badb9d787d1000001.jpg — Richard Heathcote/GettyImages

Chelsea had an incredible start to the season, but results have been somewhat inconsistent recently. The fantastic win over Manchester City has contrasted with disappointing defeats to Wolves and Leicester, demonstrating the fact that the Blues are far from the finished article under Sarri.

Here's a full breakdown of both side's last five results.


Watford	Chelsea
West Ham 0-2 Watford (22/12)	Chelsea 0-1 Leicester (22/12)
Watford 3-2 Cardiff (15/12)	Chelsea 1-0 Bournemouth (19/12)
Everton 2-2 Watford (10/12)	Brighton 1-2 Chelsea (16/12)
Watford 1-2 Manchester City (04/12)	MOL Vidi 2-2 Chelsea (13/12)
Leicester 2-0 Watford (01/12)	Chelsea 2-0 Manchester City (08/12)

Predictions

When Chelsea are at their best, they have proven that they can be a match for pretty much anyone in the league.

However, Watford have pulled off plenty of scalps already this season and they will prove to be a stern test for the Blues, particularly as their home form has been rather impressive so far this season.