Followers of Premier League football have an important midweek of fixtures to look forward to in the coming days. With the weekend dominated by the Fourth Round of the FA Cup, league games have been crammed into three days between Tuesday and Thursday. 10 games will be played, five of those shown live on BT Sport.
There is no lack of betting action available at major online bookmakers and that gives fans the chance to back their predictions with cash, targeting a healthy profit. Have your say on the winner of each match and back singles to edge a narrow profit or throw a few together to create a nice priced accumulator. Big wins for small stakes is the aim there. You can also bet on match specials, including both teams to score, correct score and first goalscorer. Our team preview Aston Villa v Watford, advising which firms are offering best odds before making our final tips and predictions.
Strong Start Ruined by Cup Exit
Aston Villa was promoted from the Championship through the playoffs last season. They arrived in the Premier League with high hopes of holding their own and steering clear of relegation, extending their stay beyond one season. The stats don’t do much to support teams coming in through the playoffs, however, and most pundits had Aston Villa picked as a side that would yo-yo straight back down again, offering little of note at the head table. So far, the critics have been close to the mark and Villa look destined for the drop.
They went into the year on the edges of the bottom three. On a poor run of form, struggling to score goals and hovering close to the danger area, the signs were there for all to see but the home team refused to pay attention. Their drought continued and Aston Villa was soon sucked into the bottom three. Will they stay there between now and the finish line, re-joining the second tier in summer? It is becoming increasingly difficult to make a strong case for them staying in the league. They must spend in January to strengthen their defence and could do with adding an attacker good enough to score the goals needed to win points.
Villa began 2020 with a confidence-boosting 2-1 away win over Burnley, three points gained that day breathing new life into their fight, or so they thought. The feel-good factor didn’t last long and just a few days later Aston Villa was knocked out of the FA Cup at the Third Round by Fulham in London. The Cottagers edged a classic cup tie by a score of 2-1. The beaten them were then hammered by champions Man City at Villa Park, ending on the wrong side of a stunning 6-1 result. That was a crushing defeat, but the squad must put it behind them and see the beating for what it was, a heavy loss but one suffered against a Man City team out to prove a point. The home win is 9/5 second favourite when making your bets at Betred.
Improving Form Helping Londoners
Things haven’t been too much better in London where Watford have recorded one of their worst ever starts to a season. The Hornets recently climbed out of the relegation zone, dragged into the bottom three as a result of that toothless start. A tough season was expected with reasons to smile thin on the ground for fans, but all that changed thanks to a dramatic turnaround in form.
Watford went on a winning run that helped haul them out of the danger zone. Three wins on the bounce breathed new life into their campaign, got the players believing again and earned the respect and support of fans who had become frustrated. Watford will now aim to build on that run and climb towards the safety offered by a midtable finish. Have they turned the corner this season? The early signs and promising.
Watford started 2020 with a win over Wolves in London, claiming a narrow 2-1, before being held to a 3-3 draw with Tranmere in the FA Cup, having fielded a weakened team. Watford then beat Bournemouth 3-0 away from home on their second outing of the year. Another away win for Watford makes plenty of appeal at the 7/5 offered by Unibet. There’s still a degree of value in that price and if Watford plays to the best of their abilities, they should win this.
