Watford v Leicester betting preview: Free Premier League tips, prediction, best bets and latest odds for game at Vicarage Road

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Watford v Leicester (1200 GMT - Sky Sports PL)

Brendan Rodgers takes charge of his first game back in the Premier League and his Foxes side will be bouncing after beating Brighton and reportedly already being impressed with the new man at the helm.

The Hornets will have a Javi Gracia flea in their ears from Wednesday's pounding at Anfield when they shipped five just four days after scoring five themselves at Cardiff.

Before the last two goalfests, there had only been seven goals in Watford's previous six games, three of those coming at Spurs, while Leicester have only scored more than a single goal once in their last 11 away games.

So we should see a return to the norm here with not too many goals and, while Watford's home form is pretty solid they've won just three in ten after a fast start and we' banking on the new manager bounce being in full affect at Vicarage Road.

Betting guide

Prediction: Watford 1-2 Leicester
If you look at performances rather than results, the Foxes actually played well in their last three road outings, getting a point at Anfield, being done by a late-late Wolves winner and basically dominating against Spurs at Wembley but losing 3-1! They've been better all season in the big games so perhaps motivation was a factor under Puel - there'll be no shortage of that in Rodgers' first game.

Best bet:
Straightforward away win in this one, again relying on the Rodgers factor but also with some guidance from notable away performances in big games. Playing away will probably help with their counter-attacking style, and I really like the way James Maddison and Jamie Vardy started to link up well against Brighton.

Goals:
Harvey Barnes could be good for a goal here, he missed a few golden chances at Spurs and has been averaging four shots a game so is well involved and in with a shout of his first Foxes goal, but at the same price Gray is favoured to find the net. He scored one against Brighton, and should have had another and in that attacking trio of him, Barnes and Vardy he is looking particularly dangerous.

RequestABet:

Odds correct as of 1207 GMT 01/03/19

Watford v Leicester Opta stats

  • Watford have only won two of their nine Premier League meetings with Leicester (D1 L6), though both of those wins have come in their last two home games against them.
  • Leicester have won their last two league games against Watford, last winning three in a row against the Hornets in August 1999.
  • Since Watford’s return to the Premier League in 2015-16, meetings between them and Leicester have seen more penalty goals than any other fixture in the competition (5).
  • Watford are looking to keep three consecutive home clean sheets in the Premier League for the first time since April 2017.
  • This will be Brendan Rodgers’ first Premier League encounter with former club Watford – he has registered at least one win against 27 of the 29 clubs he’s faced in the competition, failing only against Chelsea (eight games) and Wolves (2).
  • Brendan Rodgers is taking charge of his first match as Leicester manager – he has failed to win his first league game in charge of the previous four teams he’s managed in English football (W0 D2 L2).
  • Including caretakers, Leicester’s last five managers have won their first Premier League match in charge (Ranieri, Shakespeare, Appleton, Puel and Stowell). The last Foxes boss to lose his first game in charge was Dave Bassett in October 2001 against Chelsea.
  • Jamie Vardy has scored the first Premier League goal under Leicester’s last three permanent managers (Claudio Ranieri, Craig Shakespeare and Claude Puel), also finding the net in Mike Stowell’s game in caretaker charge against Brighton.
  • Jamie Vardy has scored 98 goals in all competitions for Leicester. He could become the seventh player to net 100 for the Foxes, and the first since Gary Lineker (103).
  • Troy Deeney is Watford’s highest goalscorer in the Premier League this season. However, just one of his seven goals has come at Vicarage Road (vs Tottenham in September).

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