Sissoko: ‘Newcastle Is A Massive Game’

By: Watford FC Staff

Moussa Sissoko insists it will be a “massive boost” for the Hornets squad if they can achieve victory against his former club Newcastle United on Saturday.

Sissoko played the full 90 minutes in last weekend’s 3-1 win away at Norwich City, his third appearance for Watford since joining the club from Tottenham last month.

Now back on home soil the Frenchman feels three points at Vicarage Road could be crucial to kickstarting a successful spell, but he knows it won’t be easy.

He said: “It will be a massive game and a win would give us a lot of confidence. Every Premier League game is very tough and in the previous game against Norwich we did well.

“It wasn’t easy, but we fought from the beginning to the end and deserved that victory.

“Now we need to keep going in that direction, now we are playing at home in front of our fans.”

Sissoko joined Newcastle from Toulouse in 2013, playing in the Premier League for the first time.

Despite it’s quality back then, the midfielder believes the English top flight has continued to improve in the years since.

“I remember when I first came to Newcastle, my first experience in the English league, it was amazing and I had a great time there,” he said.

“The league was amazing, but now the quality is even higher than before and each year you see some amazing players come in.

“Each week you play against the best players in the world, that is exciting for a player.

“The best feeling is to be on the pitch, trying to compete against the best players in the world and playing in front of thousands of fans. You can’t have a better life than that.”

Sissoko’s compatriot Allan Saint-Maximin has started the season strongly at Newcastle, scoring in their 1-1 draw with Leeds United last Friday.

The Watford players are aware of the former France youth international’s talent, but also want to focus on their own game and play to their strengths.

“For me, he is a key player for them,” Sissoko added.

“You have to make sure to be close to him during the whole game and make sure he gets as little of the ball as he can because we know if we give him space, he has skills and he can bring danger at any time.

“He won’t be alone on the pitch, so you need to be careful of other players - if you only focus on one player another one can bring danger.

“But I think the main thing is for us to be focused on our own game, on trying to do what we want to do and play with our quality, and I think if we do that we won’t be far from winning the game.

“Let’s start on the front foot, be ready from the first minute and make sure that we are ready to win the game, because three points are going to be important for the rest of the season.

“That can give a massive boost to the squad for the future.”

Watch Now

Share this article

Other News