Watford face Burnley in another hotly-anticipated clash in the Premier League this Saturday (April 30, 3pm KO), as both sides go searching for crucial points in the bid to avoid the drop.
As the Hornets prepare to take on the Clarets, here are some of the important key battles expected to play out on the Vicarage Road pitch…
Joshua King & James Tarkowski
Joshua King started and completed Watford’s previous match against Manchester City – the first time since the victory at Aston Villa in February.
The 30-year-old worked hard out of possession to pressure the Citizens’ defence, making 28 pressing actions, his second-highest this season. Alongside that, King produced his highest numbers in the interception (2) and block (3) categories this season.
His work rate will be vital against the Clarets as Watford look to trouble James Tarkowski and the Burnley backline. The Norwegian striker has a great goalscoring record against the Lancashire outfit, having scored in three of his first four Premier League matches against Burnley.
In charge of halting King’s progress will be Tarkowski who has enjoyed a productive season despite Burnley’s lowly position in the table. In the Premier League, the centre-half tops the rankings for blocks (85) and clearances (202), proving to be a useful asset for the Clarets. This will certainly be an important battle as both sides look to gain a foothold in the match.
Hassane Kamara & Dwight McNeil
Hornets full-back Hassane Kamara notched his first goal in yellow against Manchester City, striking the ball past Ederson shortly before the half-hour mark.
The Ivorian will hope to capitalise on that momentum and cause the Clarets problems. As his strike against the Citizens showed, Kamara makes lung-bursting runs from deep. He is currently fifth in the squad for total distance covered with the ball and is second in the defence for the number of times he has carried the ball into the final third.
Alongside his efforts in attack, Kamara is second in the squad for dribblers tackled (22), and is top for tackles and interceptions combined in the squad (130). He will need to maintain his defensive output when placed against Burnley winger Dwight McNeil.
The 22-year-old McNeil has had more shots (42) and more shots on target (12) without scoring than any other player in the Premier League this season. McNeil also leads the way for crosses attempted (171), dribbles attempted (126) and tackles attempted (73) at Burnley.
This area of the pitch will be crucial in deciding how the match plays out, with Kamara and McNeil vital for their respective sides.
Samir & Wout Weghorst
Alongside Kamara, Samir will be looking to disrupt Burnley’s offence. The Brazilian centre-back has been an extremely useful addition to the Watford squad since signing in January.
Samir is ranked third for interceptions (49) and percentage of dribblers tackled (57.1), and will come up against Burnley marksman Wout Weghorst.
The Dutch striker will be looking to apply pressure to Samir and his teammates, having made 57 pressing actions in the previous gameweek – the highest outside the traditional top six.
In the Burnley side, Weghorst tops the rankings for points earned per match (1.27) and goal-creating actions per 90 minutes (0.37), signalling that the striker is a key part of the Clarets’ recent improvement in form.
