Leeds United vs Watford Match Preview.
Watford head to Elland Road tomorrow in the Sky Bet Championship to play Leeds United, with the Golden Boys looking to build on Tuesday nights 3-0 victory over Rotherham.
Tuesday’s victory meant that the Hornets instantly bounced back from Saturdays defeat to Norwich, and also allows the Golden Boys to keep up the pressure on the teams above them.
Watford come into the match in 6th position in the table, level on points with Bournemouth and Norwich in 4th and 5th position, and a victory on Saturday could mean that the Hornets could move up to 3rd position in the table. Leeds, on the other hand, come into the match in 14th position, on the back of a 2-0 defeat to Brighton in midweek.
During the match earlier this season at Vicarage Road, Watford ran out 4-1 winners thanks to a double from Fernando Forestieri, a Troy Deeney penalty and a late strike from Daniel Tozser. The match back in August, saw Leeds finish the game with 9 men, with Giuseppe Bellusci and Sam Byram being sent off.
Leeds are managed by Neil Redfearn, and this season has been a turbulent one for Leeds both on and off the pitch. The appointment of former Forest Green boss Dave Hockaday before the start of the season staggered many, and he was sacked after just 70 days in the job. Neil Redfearn was appointed as caretaker manager and the Whites saw an upturn in fortunes, however Massimo Cellino decided not to appoint him full time, instead plumping for Slovenian Darko Milanic. The Slovenians spell as Leeds head coach was even shorter, after he was sacked after 6 games. Cellino then turned to Redfearn who was appointed as the permanent head coach of Leeds back in November on a one year rolling contract. The former Watford midfielder has taken charge of 20 games, winning 7, drawing 4 and losing 9.
The key player for Leeds tomorrow will be midfielder Luke Murphy. The former Crewe midfielder has been so important for the Whites in recent weeks, chipping in with some important goals and pulling the strings in midfield.
Tomorrows match will prove to be a tough test for the Hornets, with Elland Road always being a tough place to go. However, if the Golden Boys put in a good performance, they should prove to be too good for a Leeds side who beat promotion rivals Middlesbrough last week.
Team News
For Leeds, Sam Byram and Steve Morrison hope to be in contention after recovering from their respective injuries. Giuseppe Bellusci is suspended, so Liam Cooper should retain his place in defence.
For Watford, Sean Murray is the only player ruled out for the Golden Boys. New signing Marco Motta is awaiting international clearance.
Predicted Team Line-ups
Leeds – Silvestri (GK), Wooton, Bamba, Cooper ©, Taylor, Murphy, Cook, Sloth, Austin, Mowatt, Morrison.
Watford – Gomes (GK), Cathcart, Ekstrand, Angella, Paredes, Watson, Tozser, Abdi, Anya, Deeney ©, Ighalo.
Referee – Andy Haines.