Stadium: Vicarage Road (Watford)
Referee: Mike Dean
Watford will play again in the English championship. The team's first opponent will be Aston Villa, who have lost their leader, but have made some pretty good transfers. What should we expect from the upcoming encounter?
Watford form
Watford did not give up after suffering relegation from the English Premier League at the end of the 2019-20 season. In the next campaign of the Championship, the Hornets showed a good game and won a direct ticket back to the EPL. The team finished second and lost to Norwich City by six points. In the preseason campaign, the club under the management of Hisco Muñoz played six friendly matches, in which they won two games, drew twice and suffered two defeats.
Aston Villa from
Aston Villa had a good previous season. We can remember the smashing victory over Liverpool at home, successful performances again at home against Chelsea and Tottenham. The Lions have progressed under Dean Smith's management. Aston Villa eventually finished 11th in the EPL table. Their leader Jack Grealish left the team in the summer. In pre-season, the Lions played four test meetings, in which they secured three confident victories over Walsall, Bristol City and Salernitana. In one meeting, the Birmingham side left the field as losers - 0-2 from Stoke City.
Head-to-heads Watford vs Aston Villa
The clubs' last head-to-head match took place in the 2019-20 EPL season. In the first round, Watford sent three unanswered goals against Aston Villa. In the second part of the campaign, the Birmingham club took revenge with a score of 2-1. Overall, in all competitions, the clubs have met in 22 matches. In terms of the number of victories, the teams have drawn 8:8.
Expert Betting Tips
Once again, the departure of Jack Grealish from Aston Villa is worth mentioning. Jack was indeed a very important player in Dean Smith's scheme. However, the team has had a decent transfer campaign. The manager now has the following performers at his disposal: Buendia, Ings, Bailey, and Tuanzebe. Aston Villa will be seriously motivated: The last time the team won at the Vicarage Road Stadium was back in 1999. The Birmingham side have been good in pre-season. I believe that it will be very difficult for Watford to start the EPL season successfully. I suggest considering the victory of the guests, their total over goals, as well as quick goals in the match.
- Aston Villa to win for odds of 2.32;
- Aston Villa total over (1.5) goals for odds of 2.22;
- Time of the first goal from 1 to 29 min. for odds 1.97.