Premier League: Dejected United Face Must-Win Situation at Vicarage Road

Watford vs Manchester United

Manchester United know that a win is a must upon taking on Watford at Vicarage Road for their next Premier League game.

The Red Devils have fallen to sixth place with 17 points as they’ve lost three of their last four. And with tough games against Villarreal, Chelsea, and Arsenal to come in a space of nine days, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side is keen to build momentum here.

The Norwegian gaffer may have survived the international break, but he must deliver a string of positive Premier League 2021 results since rumours continue to swirl around about his future with the club.

Like Manchester United, Watford are also in must-win mode heading into this fixture. The Hornets are currently placed 17^th in the standings with 10 points.

The pre-match SBOTOP betting odds are favouring Manchester United to emerge victorious. But given their wobbly form in these past few weeks, they might get themselves into trouble against the Hornets.

Talking Points

Watford eager to move out of relegation danger

Will Claudio Ranieri be able to outsmart Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in this must-win Premier League match? — Watford manager Claudio Ranieri on the pitch during their Premier League clash against Arsenal

The Claudio Ranieri era at Watford is only four games old and it’s been a mixed bag so far. Since appointing him to replace Xisco Munoz last October, the former Leicester City manager has recorded three losses and one win.

They were beaten badly by Liverpool 5-0 in his first game in charge. However, the Hornets bounced back with a 5-2 scoreline against Everton. After that, they suffered close defeats against Southampton and Arsenal and now they find themselves in a precarious situation.

With the Hornets hovering at the 17^th spot at the table, they must get their act together in the next couple of weeks as they’ll take on several “Big Six” clubs.

Watford are going to miss a couple of key players this weekend as Juraj Kucka will serve his one-game suspension from the Arsenal match while Ken Sema and Ozan Tufan are injured.

Since United are vulnerable at the back, we expect Ranieri to have an attack-minded approach and he has a couple of players who can cause Solskjaer’s side some problems.

Joshua King is currently one of Watford’s top scorers following his hat-trick against Everton and he’ll look to torment his old club while Ismaila Sarr will be keen to add to his four goals so far this term.

Manchester United dealing with selection headaches

The pressure continues to mount on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer following their loss against Manchester City in the last time out and he’ll have to make important decisions ahead of this fixture.

First, Ole needs to choose between Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly to partner with Harry Maguire at centre-back since Raphael Varane is still recuperating from a hamstring injury.

J-League

Gamba Osaka

Nagoya Grampus

CLICK HERE

TO SEE UPDATED ODDS

Given Luke Shaw’s dip in form and fitness concerns lately, perhaps Alex Telles can start at left-back while Donny van de Beek or Nemanja Matic might get a look at midfield since Paul Pogba will serve his suspension while Scott McTominay is fresh from an illness and Fred isn’t playing up to par.

At the front wing positions, Ole must keep in mind that Jadon Sancho is lacking in confidence while Marcus Rashford missed the international break with England over fitness concerns.

Either way, Cristiano Ronaldo, David de Gea, and Bruno Fernandes are guaranteed to start and the rest of the starting XI would have to step up to grab this win.

History

Watford have lost 12 of their 14 English top-flight games against Manchester United, which is the most defeats they’ve had against a Premier League opponent.

However, the Red Devils have yet to win a single game against newly-promoted sides since last season with draws versus West Brom, Leeds United, and Fulham. Should Watford beat them or hold them to another draw, it’ll be the first time since 1997 to which United haven’t won against such opposition.

Manchester United’s lack of clean sheets lately has been well-documented. However, Watford also have such reputation since they’ve conceded at least once in each of their last 21 Premier League matches.

Betting Tip

	Watford vs Manchester United	Manchester United Asian Handicap -1.00 @ 1.84
	November 20, 23:00 (GMT+8)

The Premier League 2021 odds have Manchester United installed as the favourites in this fixture as they’re priced at 1.49, while Watford are at 5.80 and a draw is at 4.40 in the 1X2 market.

Manchester United might come in undermanned but their overall quality is far better than Watford, at least on paper.

Watford aren’t exactly the team who can exploit United’s vulnerabilities but they have shown improvement under Claudio Ranieri.

The Red Devils’ clean sheet drought should continue this Saturday afternoon, although we expect them to score just enough to claim all three points at Vicarage Road.