Liverpool welcome Watford to Anfield as both teams look to wrap up the season with a strong set of results. The season has been a good one for Watford who lie 13th in the table and completely out of any fear of relegation.
Liverpool lie 8th in the table but enter the game on the back of a semi-final triumph over Villarreal in the UEFA Europa League with an impending final on the horizon against defending champions Sevilla.
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Liverpool
Liverpool is set to field a heavily rotated squad filled with youngsters with a view to facing Chelsea midweek. The game could see the likes of Connor Randall and Sheyi Ojo start. Christian Benteke may get to start the game as well with Martin Skrtel and Lucas Leiva in defence.
Brad Smith will miss out through suspension prompting a possible start for John Flanagan at left-back.
Watford
Joel Ekstrand is not expected to feature for the Watford side for the rest of the season and Valon Behrami will also miss this game with a rib problem. Etienne Capoue is also out with a knee injury. Quique Sanchez Flores may go for the same side that secured a comeback victory over Aston Villa last week.
Probable Lineups
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Ward; Randall, Lucas, Skrtel, Flanagan; Stewart, Brannagan; Ibe, Allen, Ojo; Benteke
Watford (4-4-2): Gomes; Paredes, Cathcart, Britos, Anya; Jurado, Suarez, Watson, Abdi; Ighalo, Deeney
Form
Liverpool
Liverpool’s last Premier League match was an unprecedented disaster. Swansea ran riot against a young Liverpool side and beat them 3-1. Liverpool do enter the game though on the back of a fine win against Villarreal.
However, the team that is expected to take the field for this game is set to be a completely different one to the one that faced the Spanish side.
Last 5 Matches: W-D-L-L-W (Last Match: Liverpool 3-0 Villarreal)
Watford
Watford come in with indifferent form. Their last game was against a hapless Aston Villa side which has already been relegated. The Hornets had to come back from a deficit to dramatically win the game in stoppage time and this was at Watford’s home ground.
A visit to Anfield may well be daunting for Quique Sanchez Flores’ men. This Watford side have lost two, won two and drawn one of their last five games.
Last 5 Matches: D-W-L-L-W ( Last match: Watford 3-2 Aston Villa)
What the Managers have to say
Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp is upbeat but asks for his team to be focused as they look to end the season strongly. He adds that his squad is in a good place right now and puts it down to togetherness:
“Hopefully it is like this because we are together so often. It is because of the boys. That makes it easy.
"We have a good relationship and that is very important when you have so many hours together every day. You want to feel close to your players.
“There are a lot of roads that lead to Rome. The most successful managers in the world may have different relations with the players – but I can’t change my character. Maybe I should in some parts, but not this.”
Watford
Quique Sanchez Flores is wary of Liverpool’s ability at home and believes they will have their work cut out. He said:
"Liverpool are an amazing team, they've had a good run and they have a lot of good players. Anfield is an amazing stadium, so we need to be competitive because the other team is very powerful.
"In this moment it depends on us – how is our ambition, how is our idea to try to add points in every single match we have to play. It is necessary to show everyone that we are still fighting in this competition, still with ambition and still with the idea to win the next games."
Key Battles:
Christian Benteke vs Miguel Britos
Christian Benteke has not had the best end to the Premier League season. The Belgian forward ends the season with only a few minutes under his belt in the last few games with Jurgen Klopp not keen on his playing style ever since the German manager arrived early in the season.
This may be an opportunity for the Belgian forward to put things into perspective for the manager as he will hope to end the season on a good note. On the other end, Miguel Britos will look to put behind a nightmare last few games for the Watford defense behind him as the team conceded 7 goals in 3 games including 2 against Aston Villa at home.
Miguel Britos will look to end the season happily as well with his team having managed to achieve their primary objective of staying up. He will however, have his work cut out.
Martin Skrtel vs Troy Deeney
Troy Deeney has been unstoppable for Watford this season. For a man who has biceps the size of tree trunks, it is no new feeling to give any defender a nightmare. Strength, speed and two good feet to boot, have made him one of the toughest opponents for any defender in the EPL.
Imagine Martin Skrtel’s plight. Now a fourth choice at the club, every time he has been offered a chance to start, he has ended up playing a part in handing goals to the opposition. With confidence at an all-time low, Martin Skrtel will either sink or swim.
If he does swim in this game though, it could be a matchup between two of the most physical players in the Premier League
Prediction
Liverpool fielding their B-team again could give Watford a good chance to secure back to back wins. But with the game at Anfield, any side that goes out will have their tails up.
Liverpool 1-1 Watford
