The Hornets welcome Leicester City to Vicarage Road for the penultimate match of the season, this Sunday (May 15, 2pm KO) in the Premier League.
The reverse fixture in the top-flight took place at the King Power Stadium on November 28, and it was an end-to-end encounter, concluding 4-2 in the Foxes’ favour under a blanket of snow.
As we count down to this weekend’s clash, here is everything you need to know about our upcoming opponents…
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The Foxes have met the Hornets twice this season already, with the teams’ most recent clash coming in the New Year in the third round of the Emirates FA Cup. The match finished 4-1 to the hosts at the King Power and saw Watford play a rotated squad, with a handful of players - including Shaq Forde - being handed their first-team debuts.
Leicester’s cup run would come to an end in the following round, with the 2020/21 champions suffering a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Nottingham Forest. Back in the top-flight, Leicester had gone five matches without a win before beating Burnley and Leeds United in back-to-back victories in an attempt to get their season back on track.
Despite defeat to Arsenal in their next match (March 13) Leicester then enjoyed a fruitful spell in the league, securing wins over Brentford and Crystal Palace either side of a draw with Manchester United.
Brendan Rodgers’ men would then go on a run of five games without victory, but they bounced back in style on Wednesday night (May 11) with a 3-0 triumph over Norwich City on home soil to move up to 10th in the table.
European Success
The 2015/16 Premier League champions began their European season in the UEFA Europa League, but fell out of that competition after failing to qualify from the group stage. As a result of finishing third the Foxes booked their place in the Europa Conference League knockout round, and faced off against Danish side Randers in the play-offs – winning 7-2 over two legs.
Next up in the last 16 were French side Rennes, who they managed to beat 3-2 on aggregate despite losing the second leg, securing their place in the quarter-finals of the tournament. After a goalless first leg, the Foxes beat PSV Eindhoven 2-1 in the Netherlands and progressed to the final four of the competition where they were to face Roma.
However, it would be one step too far for Rodgers’ team who would miss out on the final, with José Mourinho’s Italians earning a 2-1 victory over two games. After a 1-1 draw at the King Power the second leg proved pivotal, with Tammy Abraham’s goal separating the sides.
