Watford look to claim the scalp of Spurs

2019/20 Premier League

Round 23

18-19 January

Watford’s recent upturn in form means they will look to claim the scalp of Tottenham Hotspur when the teams meet at Vicarage Road on Saturday 18 January 2020, kick-off at 15:30. The match is one of 10 spread across the weekend of 18-19 January for the 23^rd round of the 2019/20 Premier League season.

Tottenham attacker Dele Alli

Watford come into the clash having claimed a 3-0 win away to Bournemouth this past weekend, with goals from Abdoulaye Doucoure, Troy Deeney and Roberto Pereira. The result took the Hornets out of the bottom three for the first time since the start of the season.

“There are so many games left, I think it would be foolish to think that just because we’ve got out of the bottom three, that the job’s done,” warned manager Nigel Pearson. “It’s not at all, there’s an awful long way to go, but I think what it does, it quantifies the work that the players have put in over the last few games and the Christmas and New Year period have been very difficult and very busy.”

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Tottenham, meanwhile, dropped to eighth place on the log after suffering a narrow 1-0 home loss at the hands of Liverpool on Saturday evening, though manager Jose Mourinho tried to put a positive spin on the result.

"This is football. Sometimes you get more than you deserve. Sometimes you get less. This was an occasion when we got nothing when we deserved something,” said Mourinho. "This is the best team in the world against a team in a difficult moment, with injuries, in a difficult part of the season. The boys were fantastic when we tried to change and create problems."

Watford midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure

In head-to-head terms, Watford and Tottenham have met in 49 previous matches. Spurs have claimed 31 wins compared to eight for the Hornets, while 10 games have been drawn.

When the teams met in the Premier League earlier this season, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in October 2019, they played out a 1-1 draw: Abdoulaye Doucoure put the Hornets ahead, before Dele Allie struck a late equaliser.