Watford have gotten off to a great start this season. The club is one of just six to be 2-0 through its first two matches, and the Hornets have a decent chance to keep it that way this week against Crystal Palace. However, Crystal Palace have proven themselves to be a pesky foe and they have already picked up one road victory this season. Grabbing their second would make Eagles fans elated heading into a relatively light part of their schedule.
Don't miss the English Premier League action from Vicarage Road in Watford at 8:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, August 26, 2018. Catch every moment of the match live on NBCSN.
English Premier League Betting at BookMaker.eu
Crystal Palace +194
Watford +152
Draw +219
Over/Under 2 and 2.5
Odds Analysis
Watford enter this match having won each of their previous two matches by multiple goals. In their first game against Brighton, they dominated the stat sheet and controlled the game. The Hornets outshot the Seagulls 19 to 6 and put five shots on goal compared to none for their opponents. Roberto Pereyra was the lone goal scorer for Watford and notched a brace in a 2-0 victory.
They faced a much tougher test when they took on Burnley last week, but Watford still emerged as victorious. Andre Gray opened up the scoring for Watford in the third minute, and Burnley leveled in the sixth minute. The scoring stopped for a while after that, and the two clubs headed into halftime tied 1-1. However, Watford took the lead again shortly after the break with Troy Deeney and Will Hughes notching in the 48th and 51st minute to give the Hornets a 3-1 lead that ended up being the final scoreline.
Crystal Palace started their season off with a 2-0 win on the road against Fulham. They withstood a charged Fulham attack for much of the first half before creating some chances of their own with Jeffrey Schlupp getting the scoring started in the 41st minute. Palace continued to hold firm in the back, and Wilfried Zaha scored the clincher in the late stages of the second half.
The club knew it had its work cut out for it when Liverpool came to town the following week, but Palace played well against the Reds. Crystal Palace created some decent chances and mostly defended like mad to keep Liverpool out of the net. It wasn’t enough though as Liverpool scored twice to deal Palace a 2-0 loss.
Key Injuries
Crystal Palace will not have Aaron Wan-Bissaka available for this match after he was sent off with a red card against Liverpool. The Eagles won’t have Scott Dann either, as he continues to recover from a torn ACL suffered midway through last season. Connor Wickham and Jonathan Williams are considered questionable for this match.
Watford are dealing with a number of injuries heading into this match. Tom Cleverley and Younes Kaboul are long-term absences, and Ben Wilmot has already been declared out as well. Nathaniel Chalobah, Stefano Okaka Chuka, and Gerard Deulofeu are all considered doubtful.
Player to Watch
Troy Deeney has looked very sharp through the first two games of the season. Watford’s captain dealt with some injury problems last year, and he was clearly affected by them. After six straight seasons where he tallied double-digit goals for the Hornets, he notched just five goals last year and seemed unable to find his form even when healthy. His performance through the early part of this year is encouraging though, and he might be primed for a big turnaround.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Even though Watford are dealing with a number of injuries, there is considerable value with the Hornets here. They should not be this short of a favorite at home, and they will make the oddsmakers pay in a win over Crystal Palace.
English Premier League Odds: Watford 2, Crystal Palace 1
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