Watford welcome Championship high-flyers Swansea City to Vicarage Road on Tuesday night in the Carabao Cup third round.
The Hornets were at rock bottom following Saturday's humiliating 8-0 drubbing at the hands of Manchester City and welcome a Swans side brimming with confidence, sitting second in the Championship.
A message from the boss. pic.twitter.com/uYByFFZX8T
— Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC) September 21, 2019
Here's 90min's preview of the showdown.
Where to Watch
| When Is Kick Off? | Tuesday 24 September |
| What Time Is Kick Off? | 19:45 (BST) |
| Where Is it Played? | Vicarage Road |
| TV Channel/Live Stream? | N/A |
| Referee? | Darren Bond |
It will be interesting to see whether Quique sticks or twists on Tuesday evening. While most managers will rotate, the XI thumped by City was close to Watford's first choice lineup and may well get a chance to redeem themselves.
Young Swedish goalkeeper Pontus Dahlberg could be given a chance in goal, although H
Swansea have a realistic opportunity of progressing to the next round and Steve Cooper will be reluctant to ring the changes - however, Jake Bidwell's red card again Bristol City means there'll be at least one alteration to the team sheet.
Potential Lineups
| Watford | Gomes; Janmaat, Dawson, Cathcart, Holebas; Pereyra, Capoue, Doucoure, Deulofeu; Gray, Sarr. |
| Swansea | Woodman; Roberts, Van der Hoorn, Rodon, Naughton; Grimes, Fulton; Ayew, Celina, Routledge; Baston. |
Head to Head Record
In their six most recent Premier League encounters it's been pretty even - Watford have won three, Swansea two and there was also a goalless draw.
Interestingly, the victors only won by a single goal in 1-0 and 2-1 scorelines and the signs point towards another close encounter on Tuesday night.
Recent Form
The Hornets' recent form is tough to interpret to say the least. Javi Gracia's final three matches included a loss, a draw and win, with that victory being the 3-0 defeat of Coventry in the cup's second round.
Flores, meanwhile, masterminded a comeback and encouraging performance in the Arsenal draw, before Saturday's capitulation at Manchester City.
Swansea have been a surprise package this season and their last five results include a 6-0 thumping of Cambridge in the second round and an away victory over promotion rivals Leeds. However, one point from their past two matches isn't the most encouraging return.
Here's a look at the two sides' last five results:
| Watford | Swansea |
| Manchester City 8-0 Watford (21/9) | Bristol City 0-0 Swansea (21/9) |
| Watford 2-2 Arsenal (15/9) | Swansea 0-1 Nottingham Forest (14/9) |
| Newcastle 1-1 Watford (31/8) | Leeds 0-1 Swansea (31/8) |
| Watford 3-0 Coventry (27/8) | Swansea 6-0 Cambridge (28/8) |
| Watford 1-3 West Ham (24/8) | Swansea 3-0 Birmingham (25/8) |
Prediction
Surely Watford can't be as bad as they were at the Etihad? They need to get the fans back on side quickly and build momentum before they're sucked too far into a relegation battle.
If they put out a strong side then they should have enough quality to get past Swansea and snag a confidence-boosting victory.
Prediction: Watford 2-1 Swansea
Source: 90min
