This Thursday Gianfranco Zola's Watford FC travel up the M1 to take on Nigel Pearson's Leicester City in the first leg of the NPower Championship Play Off's. After the heartbreak of not gaining automatic promotion for Zola's men they now have to take on a jubilant Leicester side who have snuck back into the Play Off's after beating bitter rivals Nottingham Forest 3-2 at the City Ground. Thanks to the 2-1 defeat at home to Leeds Watford missed out on the automatic promotion places by just two points meaning Hull were promoted instead after their 2-2 draw with Cardiff. A lot of Watford fans are asking 'what if we had turned one draw into a win' or questioning other games where we have dropped points, but we must stop that and concentrate on the here and now. Leicester City: Nigel Pearson will be looking to take his side up through the Play Off's after sneaking back into them on the last game of the season. Going into the game against Watford on the back of a win has given their team new confidence and belief that they can go up. More to follow. Pearson has no new injury concerns heading into this game. Opposition Fans Forum: www.foxestalk.com Watford: Gianfranco Zola has a big task in picking the lads up and getting them to focus on the Leicester game after missing out on automatic promotion after stumbling at the finishing line to Leeds. The defeat saw another inept refereeing display which could, and arguably should, have seen Leeds to reduced to nine men after 20 minutes with a stonewall penalty. But yet again it was not meant to be with our players being pushed and shoved all over the park, it seems we have an unfair tally against our name. He will definately be without Troy Deeney who was sent off for two (avoidable) bookings and will miss the first leg. Alex Geijo is expected to deputise for the missing striker and hoping to link up well with Vydra whose pace will be needed to exploit Leicester's back four. Ikechi Anya's pace will be needed to counter Lloyd Dyer's pace, such as he did a couple of weeks ago so I expect him to start as right wing back. Now that Fitz Hall is fit I expect him to come in for stalwart Lloyd Doyley to counter Leicester's direct approach. Matej Vydra is also expected to come in for Fernando Forestieri as his pace will be a vital asset to have. Hopefully Chalobah replicates that wonderful strike he did last time. Keeper wise we are in a bit of a muddle, against Leeds we managed to lose two keepers within the first twenty minutes of the game with Manuel Almunia being injured pre - kick off and Jonathon Bond being hospitalised after Dominic Poleon pushed an onrushing Ikechi Anya into Bond. This left rookie Jack Bonham to make his first team debut in one of the most important last day games in recent history. You can't really knock Bonham as his inexperience shone through for both goals as well as some poor defending from the players in front of him. We need Almunia to be fit for the game desperately as he will add confidence to the defence and can play the ball out. Predicted Line Ups: Watford : Almunia Anya Cassetti Hall Ekstrand Pudil Hogg Chalobah Abdi Geijo Vydra Subs: Bonham, Briggs, Doyley, Forestieri, Battochio, Yeates, Assombalonga Leicester City: Schmeichel De Laet Morgan Keane King Dyer James Knockaert Schlupp Wood Nugent Subs: Logan, Moore, Drinkwater, Marshall, Gallagher, Vardy, Kane. Officials: TBA Score Prediction: No matter what we have to bounce back and get a victory here. I expect Leicester to be very direct again and hope that our pace and trickery should prove enough to scrape a 2-1 win to take into the second leg. To all those travelling up have a safe journey. Come On You 'Orns!
Battochio is obviously the more talented, skillful footballer but that's not neccesarily what this league is all about.
Evident after today that the players are physically and mentally finished, they've already given their all
Almunia Anya - Ekstrand - Hall - Cassetti - Pudil Chlobah - Abdi - Battocchio Geijo - Forestieri Vydra offers absolutely nothing at the moment and I'd only play him again in situations where we're desperate for a goal. Also bring Hall back in if he's fit, we could do with another commanding presence at the back and no doubt I'll get masses of abuse for this, but Doyley's time with us needs to be coming to an end. I know people love him and yes, he's a decent defender, but he doesn't fit in with the type of football we want to play at all and he's no longer first choice in any of the defensive positions if everyone's fit. It really is time to move on.
Zola has a real job on his hands getting the players mentally prep'd for this one I think. That was a draining game for me just watching.
Doyley has been fantastic this season. I think he fits in with our style of football just fine. Sure, there are technically better players. But he is versatile and isn't THAT bad on the ball or distributing it.
Sadly I don't think he'll make it in the PL. Then again, we thought he wouldn't make it in our current squad. There are better players, but Llody is certainly one; if the not the one who cares the most for WFC on the pitch because of how long he's been here and wants to succeed week in week out.
I think whatever happens, we need Cassetti back out wide. Think Pudil just doesn't have what we need at this level. Anya moves to the left if Hall can come back in on Thursday. Geijo must start with Matej. This won't be a game for Fernando's trickery. They'll be hoofing it and aiming for set pieces and we need to break quickly.
From someone who has seen him in the flesh over 30 times this season I can say that Doyley is in my top five players of the season. Some really ludicrous, baseless comments being made on here today.
I went a couple of weeks ago to this fixture, and I'm going again. Maybe we won't get the same result, but I expect us to get something out of it. We're better than Leicester, we all know it. If we play without so many stupid mistakes we'll have a good chance. No Deeney is a big loss... but we still have Vydra, Forestieri and Geijo.
THIS SEASON STARTS NOW! Forget preceding scorelines, results and close encounters of the premiership kind. We are still a championship club and team and we have to continue our fight for this now. Do not look any further then to our next match and get behind everyone in the team, no matter who is picked.
Can everybody going wear exactly what they were wearing at Leicester a week ago? And do everything exactly the same!
yep which is a real pain for those of us that don't live anywhere near will have to make do with the final
Absolutely ridiculous, I live nearly 100 miles away, can't get back to Watford to get the ticket and could not get it today as I am only on database for four away games due to paying on the day for three others. So annoyed at this feel I am being let down here when I should in theory be able to get one on Monday but can't due to them not taking phone bookings. I understand that the post may not get it to me in time but Surely they could allow me and others to pick the ticket up at Leicester
totally agree i can't get a ticket til Wednesday as only got a record of two away tickets and living in Nottingham is have not chance of getting there in time and annoying am on holiday for the home leg so can't make that either
We need to win at Leicester. If we need a victory at home they'll just sit deep and get us on the break. We need them to come to The Vic needing to get something so we can pick them off. I'd go with Vydra in the away leg.
Either way I can't get back to Watford as have other things I can't get out of. I even managed to blag a half day off work if we were involved in play offs to get to the away leg from the boss grrrrr
We can and should still win this we are the best team in the play offs and if we play to the full of our ability and don't get any dodgy decisions there is no reason why won't win.
Get Hall in for Anya/ Pudil, and Vydra for Deeney. Small pairing I know, but Morgan dealt with Deeney ok last time, FF will cause more problems.
I have two IDs.. mine and my brothers. Only one of us is a ST holder this year though (but we both have gazillion away games this year) so I guess I'll have to wait until Monday... I'm hoping that it won't sell out by then.
