Last updated & checked: 10/08/2021
What a miserable season it has been for both Spurs and Watford. Tottenham Hotspur have looked shockingly weak on defence in recent encounters. Their last three games saw Hugo Lloris bizarrely dispossessed inside his own six-yard area against Southampton, leading to the concession of a goal. They then got absolutely mauled by Bayern Munich in a 7-2 battering before finishing off a devastating week by losing 3-0 to Brighton.
The only real upside heading into this match is that they are up against Watford, who have so far failed to win a single game all season. They currently sit at the rock bottom of the Premier League standings. Whatever happens here, we really hope that these sides can improve their performances and work out some of the issues that have plagued them on the pitch as of late.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Watford Prediction: Spurs 2-1 Watford
This is actually a tricky one to predict. While the home team would seem like an obvious pick against a side which has literally not won a game this season, a closer inspection reveals a rather more complicated story. That’s because Watford have, despite this, proven themselves resilient and capable of dragging tough teams to a stalemate. We saw this against Newcastle, Arsenal and Sheffield United. Having said that, we think Tottenham will recognise the size of the opportunity here to seize momentum and – even with their defensive woes – will manage to get the job done, just. With that in mind, our scoreline prediction is 2-1 to Tottenham.
Our recommended tip: Both teams score
As we said, we think Tottenham are going to win this one. Despite their issues, they still boast some of the most dynamic goal-scorers in the country. But they have defensive woes that Watford have shown capable of exploiting against other tough team. Considering this, we think it’s very likely that whatever the result, both teams will strike successfully before this is all over. This is similar to our scoreline prediction but provides a little more leeway to the final result with your wager. You’ll find low-risk 8/11 odds on this bet at William Hill.
Previous matches
Bearing in mind that Watford have lost 31 of their 48 encounters with Tottenham, it’s fair to say that this is unlikely to make happy reading for away fans. There is a couple of beacons of light though. They did defeat Spurs 2-1 in late 2018. The two follow-up games were also very close encounters, with their last Premier League match ending in the same scoreline in reverse – which also happens to be our scoreline prediction. However, facts are facts, and considering that 2018 win is their only victory in this fixture since 1994, we have to give the advantage to Spurs.
Top 3 Premier League Bookies
Players to watch: Harry Kane & Craig Cathcart
Tottenham Hotspur: Harry Kane
Spurs may have a fair few problems at the moment – particularly in regards to defence – but there’s one player who appears unshakeable: the ever reliable Harry Kane. He was terrific against Bulgaria as England captain and has scored 11 goals in his last 11 games, meaning he’s very likely to play an integral role here. An obvious choice perhaps, but in times like these, Spurs would be wise to stick with what brought them to the dance.
Watford: Craig Cathcart
Just like Tottenham, Watford will be looking for somebody reliable to help keep their house in order during what is likely to be a hard-fought battle. There’s no better candidate for that post than team captain Craig Cathcart. Not only is he the man to bring his team together, but also happens to be one of the finest centre-backs around: something Watford will need to fight off the Spurs offense.
