- Two defeats on the spin for Slaven's Hornets
- Canaries fans demanding better
- Goals on the cards at Vicarage Road
Watford vs Norwich City
Saturday,19:45
Sky Sports Football
Back-to-back Bilic blunders
Slaven Bilic's Watford come into this game needing to stop the rot having lost their last two Championship games. Having overseen a 4-0 demolition of Stoke in his first game in charge, the unpopular decision to sack Rob Edwards briefly looked justified, but five goals conceded in two losses against Swansea and Blackpool have cut the honeymoon period short.
The manner of these defeats may have impacted the players too, having taken the lead against Swansea only to lose to a last minute goal, then being soundly beaten by a Blackpool side likely to be fighting off relegation despite enjoying 74% possession.
This visit of Norwich should be a tougher test than the two losses, and three defeats in a row will only exacerbate the frustration Watford fans are feeling towards their owners.
Questions also being asked of Canaries
A couple of weeks ago, despite winning seven of eight unbeaten Championship matches, there was a feeling among Norwich fans that their performances weren't overly impressive. Dean Smith's side were then very poor in the 1-1 draw at Reading which was followed by a home defeat at the hands of Preston.
The previous good run meana that Norwich are still 2nd in the Championship and level on points with table-toppers Sheffield United, but this lofty league position does not mirror the feeling amongst the fan base and they will be demanding a better showing here.
Sergeant commands respect but history favours Hornets
Watford will be looking to return to winning ways against Norwich having won five of their last six league games against them, but losing their most recent game, which was a 3-0 home defeat in January in the Premier League.
A loss though would mean three in succession for the Hornets outside the top-flight for the first time since November 2014 under Slavisa Jokanovic. The omens aren't all bad, as they finished that season 2nd and won promotion back to the Premier League.
There is some cause for optimism for the Norwich faithful, as Josh Sargent has already scored more league goals this season (7) than he did in the entirety of last season for Norwich (4) and Werder Bremen (2), while both of his Premier League goals last season came against Watford in a 3-0 win in January.
Goals the way to play Saturday night
Watford's three games under Slaven Bilic have seen 11 goals in total and three or more goals in each. Norwich come here off the back of a five-goal thriller, and three of their last four home games have seen over 2.5 goals, but their away matches tend to be much more cagey. That is unlikely to be the case here, with Bilic seemingly intent on taking the handbrake off at Watford, often at the expense of defensive shape.
This is a game between two sides boasting an array of in-form attacking talent in Ismaila Sarr, Keinan Davis, Teemu Pukki and the aforementioned Sargeant, but there are question marks around both defences. Backing Over 2.5 goals at Evs is the best way to play this with both sides set up to attack. .
It may also be worth having a small bet on Kenny McLean to grab his first goal of the season at 11/1. He has been knocking on the door recently, and scored a disallowed goal late on against Preston at no fault of his own. He is a surprising threat from corners as well, often the target at the near post, and is playing in a slightly more advanced role than earlier in the season. It's only a matter of time before he gets off the mark and the 11/1 is too big.