After three games of the season, both Southampton and Watford will be thrilled with their performance so far because they are unbeaten. Both teams have five points after one win and two draws, and they will be looking to build on that start and pick up some more wins now the international break is over.
The start has been surprising from Watford, I had them down as a team who would be fighting in the relegation zone this season, but so far they have exceeded those expectations. Southampton at the minute are doing exactly what they were expected to do and I expect them to be in the top half of the table at the end of the season.
Southampton Form
If you want to pick holes in the form Southampton have shown so far then they only thing I can see is that they have failed to finish off two teams. They played well against both Swansea and Huddersfield, but failed to score a crucial goal which would have won them the game. Had they won either, or both of those games their start would have been even better.
Their only win so far has come at home where they bet West Ham 3-2 in what was a thrilling game which they won with a thrilling 93rd minute penalty from Charlie Austin. One thing Southampton did show that day was very good team spirit, they kept battling and eventually found a way to win. We need to see more of that from them, they are good enough to do really well this season and we just need to see them battle when the going gets tough.
Watford Form
Watford’s surprising start began on the opening day of the season when they managed to get a great point in a thrilling 3-3 home draw with Liverpool. Defensively they weren’t great, but going forward there was plenty of good work to be seen, so fans should be optimistic that they will be able to score goals this season.
Their most impressive performance came a game later when they travelled south to face Bournemouth and came away with a great 2-0 victory. Bournemouth haven’t started too well, but regardless of that this was a great result for Watford and certainly made many people, including me, sit up and take notice of them.
On the face of it, a home 0-0 draw with Brighton was a little disappointing, but Watford played 70 minutes of that game with 10 men, which is very difficult to do no matter who you are playing. They would have gone into the game wanting three points, but as soon as that red card was shown I am sure they would have been happy with a point, which is what they eventually ended up with.
Team News
Southampton have not scored in two out of their three games so far and that is what they need to work on. They have a host of attacking players in their squad and to me they are capable of scoring goals, they just need to find the right formula for this season. I want to see more from Manolo Gabbiadini, who should be the main man, but Charlie Austin, Shane Long and Nathan Redmond also need to step up and show us more.
Watford captured Richarlison this summer and he was a very intriguing signing who I couldn’t wait to see. So far he has been brilliant and looks to be a great capture for the club. He has a lot of skill and is sure to contribute to their attacking play, I can’t wait to see more of him in this game.
Top Betting Tips
Both teams head into this game with unbeaten records and I am going to back the draw in this game, meaning they will both keep their unbeaten records. I think Southampton are the better team, but struggling for goals I think they will find it tough to break down Watford in this game.
The draw can be backed at 3/1 with Ladbrokes and Stan James, a good price in what should be a very tight game in which neither will want to lose. Watford won’t go and be defensive, but they will set themselves up well and they will protect their point if they have one going into the last 20 minutes. Southampton have failed to score in two of their three games so far and again I am expecting them to struggle to break down their opponents, which is why I believe the game will be a draw.