Project Restart: Watford's remaining 2019-20 Premier League fixtures

By Darren Plant, Senior Reporter | 14 June 2020

Ahead of the Premier League restart next week, Sports Mole looks at the remaining fixtures facing struggling Watford.

Despite having won just one of their last half-a-dozen matches in the Premier League, Watford find themselves out of the relegation zone on goal difference.

However, while that one triumph did come at home at runaway leaders Liverpool, all momentum in the battle to avoid the drop has been lost due to a combination of a defeat at Crystal Palace and the coronavirus pandemic.

With a home encounter against former club Leicester City representing his team's first game back, though, Nigel Pearson will be extra motivated to ensure that his players are firing on all cylinders on June 20.

A positive result from that contest could set the tone for the rest of the schedule, and Pearson will no doubt want a bigger cushion above 18th place before taking on Burnley at Turf Moor and Southampton at Vicarage Road.

Watford's Troy Deeney celebrates scoring their first goal with Abdoulaye Doucoure on January 21, 2020 © Reuters

With further home games against Norwich City and Newcastle United to follow, Pearson may feel that the pressure will be off when taking the Hornets to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea.

Nevertheless, Watford have been presented with one of the tougher run-ins from three games out, beginning with a trip to the London Stadium to play West Ham United.

Their final home game, a fifth in eight outings from the restart, will be against Manchester City, who may have little to play for at that stage of the campaign.

The short journey to the Emirates Stadium to play Arsenal concludes the season for Watford, a potentially pivotal clash for both sides with the Gunners in the hunt for a European spot.