Watford FC has secured promotion to the Premier League after finishing second in the EFL Championship league table. The Hornets were relegated to the EFL Championship after finishing 19th in the 2019-20 Premier League campaign. Their present manager Xisco Muñoz took charge of the side on 21 December 2020 after the departure of Vladimir Ivić. At the turn of the year, Watford was able to become one of the most consistent sides in the league.

The Hornets were runners-up, thanks mainly to their defense, which kept 23 clean sheets and only conceded 30 goals. The difference between their home and away results was remarkable, at home they scored 44 goals and conceded 12, keeping 14 clean sheets and failing to score only once, but in away matches they only scored 19, conceded 18 and failed to score 11 times, with five of their away matches resulting in goalless draws.

The Hornets are kicking off with some great fixtures, facing only one traditional “big six” team (Spurs) on their first seven game week journey. They have the best run of the newly promoted sides and actually sit top of the Season Ticker from game weeks 1-7, although many Fantasy managers will perhaps adopt a ‘wait and see’ approach before the September international break. Watford fans will be looking worryingly at their November schedule, with Arsenal away (6), Manchester United at home (20), Leicester City away (27), Chelsea at home (30), before Manchester City on December 4. Even after these five matches, The Hornets will again enjoy another eight weeks long (GW 16-23) favorable fixture.

• FIRST SEVEN FIXTURES: AVL | BHA | TOT | WOL | NOR | NEW | LEE
• POSSIBLE TURNING POINT: LIV (GW8)

Goal Keeper: Daniel Bachmann (£4.5m) has enjoyed a meteoric rise in 2021. The 26-year-old established himself as Watford’s first-choice goalkeeper after Ben Foster (£4.0m) suffered a broken finger in January and was picked as Austria’s No 1 for Euro 2020. However, both of the Watford GK played the same amount of matches (23) on their last championship campaign.  So we can assume that, there is always a chance of rotation between them.

Defense: Adam Masina (£4.5m) has been one of the standout players for Watford during the 2020-21 season. The 27-year old played 25 league games during the recently concluded campaign, making 1.6 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 2.7 clearances per game. He helped the club keep 15 clean sheets, while also registering two important goals. Definitely, the Morocco international’s form will play a key role in the Hornets’ success next season. Newly included Danny Rose (£4.5m) alongside Craig Cathcart (£4.5m), Kiko Femenía (£4.5m), and Christian Kabasele (£4.5m) could be a good budget option for the FPL managers.

Midfield: Watford did remarkably well to hang onto Ismaila Sarr (£6.0m) following their relegation to the Championship in 2020. The 23-year-old played 39 league games in the recently concluded campaign, scoring 13 and assisting four goals. The Senegal international was clearly among the Yellow Army’s best players during their most recent Premier League season and he will be looking to replicate that in the next one. Left wing player Ken Sema (£5.5m) alongside with experienced Tom Cleverley (£5.0m), Philip Zinckernagel (£5.5m) and Will Hughes (£5.0m) could make a tight midfield for The Hornets.

Forward: João Pedro (£5.5m) has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign with Watford and established himself among the key players at the club in the absence of the injured Troy Deeney (£5.5m). Still only 19, highly-rated Brazilian forward Joao Pedro established himself as Watford’s leading striker during their promotion-winning season. He played 38 league games during the recently concluded season, scoring nine and assisting two goals. His positioning sense and delicate touches are more similar to the game play of Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Apart from his attacking exploits, he also serves as the first line of defense for his team and has averaged one tackle per game in the league. Recently the Hornets have been signed former Everton forward Joshua King to strengthen their forward line. Now let’s see how much the manager can depends on his attacking options.

Set Piece Takers: The Hornets are heavily depends on Ismaila Sarr and Cleverly for their set piece taking duty. Previously Deeney was their main option, but because of his injury and poor form he is not getting enough playing time to do so.

• Penalties: Deeney, João Pedro, Ismaila Sarr.
• Direct Free Kicks: Cleverley, Chalobah, Masina, Sema.
• Corners: Cleverly, Sema.

FPL Prospect: Daniel Bachmann (£4.5m), Adam Masina (£4.5m), Ismaila Sarr (£6.0m), João Pedro (£5.5m).

Player to avoid: Troy Deeney (£5.5m).

Must pick: Ismaila Sarr (£6.0m).

By Ahmed ShanTonu

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