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The Hornets begin life without Javi Gracia with Quique Sanchez Flores back at Vicarage Road for a second spell
Arsenal travel to Watford aiming to build on the momentum gained from their north London derby comeback.
The Gunners rebounded from 2-0 down to salvage a point against Tottenham.
While the Hornets, too, will be hopeful of picking up a result today after sacking Javi Gracia and replacing him with Quique Sanchez Flores.
Watford 0 – 2 Arsenal
36 mins: Watford have created some decent chances, they just haven’t been able to finish them. Deulofeu and Cleverley combine to get the ball into the box. Gray can head it towards goal but Kolasinac heads it away. The ball comes back in for Hughes who sends it wide.
Leno rolls the ball out to Guendouzi but Deulofeu dispossesses him and shoots, Leno palms it away into the path on Hughes who hits the side netting with a shot of his own.
Watford 0 – 1 Arsenal
30 mins: Watford get men on the box as Holebas has space on the left wing. He puts the ball into the box but can’t find a yellow shirt and Arsenal break. The ball comes to Pepe but he has to check his run to collect it and Holebas gets back in time to defend.
Watford 0 – 1 Arsenal
27 mins: Arsenal’s confidence has doubled since the goal, they’re keeping the ball easily now and playing through Watford. Guendouzi runs into space on the right and puts a ball into the box. Foster comes and claims it.
Watford 0 – 1 Arsenal
24 mins: Kabasele makes a poor pass and gives the ball back to Arsenal. Ozil goes on a forward run and receives the ball, he puts a tempting ball into the six-yard box for Aubameyang to run onto but Watford get a touch on the ball to take it past him and out for a corner.
Watford 0 – 0 Arsenal
20 mins: Arsenal move the ball quickly up to Pepe on a counter attack. Pepe receives it out on the right and he brings it inside as he comes forward. He spots a gap in the defence to curl the ball into the bottom corner and takes the shot on but sends it wide.
Watford 0 – 0 Arsenal
18 mins: Watford have started very strongly and are worthy of a goal. Arsenal haven’t been able to create anything. Ozil loses the ball as Deulofeu takes it off him. Watford work it out to the right and whip it into the box but Maitland-Niles heads the ball safely to his goalkeeper.
Watford 0 – 0 Arsenal
15 mins: Arsenal work some well aimed long passes out to Pepe on the right who runs the ball into the box. His final pass into the box is poor though and Watford clear. They break quickly and win a corner but Arsenal are awarded a free kick for some argy-bargy in the box.
Watford 0 – 0 Arsenal
12 mins: Save! Leno is being asked some questions by Watford. Cleverley runs the ball towards the box and David Luiz drops away leaving him with space to shoot. The fans encourage him and he lets fly but Leno pushes the ball over the crossbar.
Watford’s corner finishes safely in the hands of Arsenal’s goalkeeper.
Watford 0 – 0 Arsenal
9 mins: Arsenal win a free kick to the right of the box, Ozil puts it into the danger zone but Watford are able to head it away.
Kolasinac is quick to pounce on a loose ball from Gray but Gray clatters him when trying to recover it.
Watford 0 – 0 Arsenal
6 mins: A half chance for Watford ends up in the hands of Leno. The ball comes into the middle from the right wing with Watfrod able to advance into space. Deulofeu receives the ball to the left of the box, he cuts inside and shoots with his right foot. The shot was on but Leno read the play well and made the save.
Watford 0 – 0 Arsenal
3 mins: Deulofeu takes the ball around Guendouzi and goes on a run into Arsenal’s half, he tries to pass the ball infield and wins a throw in. Watford play the ball backwards and try to switch the play. Kolasinac comes forward and intercepts the ball, he attempts a long forwad pass to Pepe but Capoue tracks back and intercepts.
Here come the teams, they leave the tunnel and come out to the pitch, the atmosphere is brilliant at Vicarage Road. Kick off is next.
15 minutes until kick off, will Watford benefit from ‘new manager bounce’ or will Arsenal be too strong to get past?
Norwich pulled off a blinder against Man City yesterday can Watford pull off something similar?
A win for Arsenal would move them level on points with Man City in the table and put them well in the title race.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is in fantastic form and will cause huge problems for Watford today, despite his strike partner Alexandre Lacazette being out with an injury.
Aubameyang has scored 12 goals in his last 13 appearances for the Gunners and 23 of his 35 Premier League goals have come on Sundays.
That’s 66% of his Premier League goal tally.
It’s a pretty important day for Tom Cleverley as he makes his 200th appearance in the Premier League.
He made his Premier League debut for the mighty Wigan Athletic in the 2010-11 season, scoring his first goal in a 3-1 defeat to West Ham.
He then returned to parent club Manchester United for the next three years before spending a season on loan at Aston Villa.
He signed for Everton in 2015 before finally rejoining Watford two years later.
Watford are in danger of equaling a poor club record. A loss today would make it five consecutive defeats in the top-flight for the club.
They would also have lost their opening three home matches for the first time since the 1991-92 season.
The Hornets are without a win in eight Premier League matches (D2 L6), their worst run since an 11-game run between November 2006 and January 2007.
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Team news
The Gunners are yet another club with injuries aplenty, with Joe Willock, Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira all facing a race to be fit for the trip to Vicarage Road. Kieran Tierney and Hector Bellerin have been spotted in training, but it will be a few weeks before we see them in first-team action.
Nicolas Pepe sat out of the Ivory Coast squad to work closely with the Arsenal coaches as he continues to acclimatise to the Premier League. Pepe is expected to once again link up with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alex Lacazette in Arsenal’s new-look front line.
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