Watford vs Burnley predictions: Frugal Clarets to tame Hornets
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- Burnley on course to make immediate return to the Premier League
- Watford’s hopes of making the Championship play-offs hanging by a thread
- Recommended bet: Burnley to win to nil
Scott Parker’s Burnley are in a great position to claim their place back in the Premier League and the Clarets should be confident that they can boost their promotion chances further when they visit Watford on Friday.
The Hornets look to be just out of the play-off picture with four games remaining and they could struggle to penetrate a defence that has been breached just 13 times in 42 league games this season.
Team news
Watford’s Giorgi Chakvetadze and Kwadwo Baah have been ruled out for the final games of the campaign, while it is unlikely that groin injury victim Yasser Larouci will feature again this term for the Hornets either.
Burnley forward Lyle Foster is struggling with a shoulder problem, while Jonjo Shelvey, Mike Tresor and Jordan Beyer are also set to miss out for the Clarets.
The stats
Burnley have conceded just three goals in their last 14 Championship away games and have allowed just 13 goals against them in the league all season.
The Clarets are unbeaten in their last 29 league matches.
Five of Watford’s last seven league games have featured fewer than three goals and have lost six of their last 10 Championship outings at Vicarage Road.
Prediction
Parker’s Burnley are enjoying a great season and, with the finish line in sight, they can make another step towards an immediate return to the Premier League with a win at Watford on Friday.
With promotion rivals Sheffield United and Leeds United in action later in the day, the Clarets have the chance to make an early strike in their visit to Hertfordshire and the quality of their defending suggests they will be able to open a three-point gap over the Whites in the race for the title.
Their defending has been exceptional this season, with the Turf Moor outfit shipping just 13 goals in the entire league campaign and they have to go back to a trip to Millwall on November 3rd to find the last time they suffered a second-tier loss.
They have not been the most entertaining team to watch – their goalless draw in their last away game at Derby was their 12th of the league season – but they should be able to keep the Hornets at bay.
Their hosts have lost one of their last five games at Vicarage Road, but they lost five straight home games before that run and have a seven-point gap to make up in the play-off race, which looks beyond them.
They may struggle to threaten a Burnley side who look a good bet to win without conceding, having claimed 11 clean sheets in their last 14 league outings on the road.
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