Watford v Swansea City: Team news, predictions & odds

The game kicks off at 1500 BST at Vicarage Road.

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Watford v Swansea City: Team news

Swansea midfielder Jack Cork will miss his side's Premier League trip to Watford after suffering a recurrence of a recent ankle injury.

Leon Britton and Jay Fulton are pushing to replace Cork with Swans boss Paul Clement indicating he may change his formation following their defeat at West Ham.

Fernando Llorente is set to return to the starting line-up after coming off the bench against the Hammers following two games out with an ankle problem.

Watford forward Troy Deeney could be in contention to return to the starting line-up.

Deeney started on the bench last weekend at Tottenham, with manager Walter Mazzarri concerned over fatigue. Younes Kaboul (hamstring), Sebastian Prodl (rib) and Valon Behrami (hamstring) have all been carrying injuries, so could miss out again.

Defender Miguel Britos serves out his two-match ban, while midfielders Roberto Pereyra (knee) and Ben Watson (groin) remain sidelined, as does long-term absentee Mauro Zarate (anterior cruciate ligament).

Swansea (from): Fabianski, Naughton, Fernandez, Mawson, Olsson, Carroll, Ki, Fer, Routledge, Sigurdsson, Llorente, Ayew, Nordfeldt, Kingsley, Amat, Van der Hoorn, Britton, Fulton, Montero, Narsingh, McBurnie, Borja, Roberts.

Watford (from): Gomes, Mariappa, Holebas, Janmaat, Cathcart, Amrabat, Success, Doucoure, Niang, Cleverley, Okaka, Pantilimon, Deeney, Zuniga, Kabasele, Eleftheriou, Capoue, Mason.

Watford v Swansea City: Manager quotes

Walter Mazzarri (Watford)

On any rift with his players:  "I know all the players that don't play are not happy. This is normal.

"The fact they are not happy means they are keen to play and that they are very professional. I am sure it was the same for Okaka against West Brom when he did not play.

"We play these games with 14 players and it's just as important who goes on the bench as it is who plays.

"I am here to make the club grow and get the best performances and results possible." 

On Troy Deeney: "Troy is okay and is available (against Swansea). Before the Sunderland game he had a problem and couldn't train for eight days.

"For Sunderland I chose Okaka as he managed to do all training and he was in a very good condition. We won and we played very well as a team, including Okaka.

"Three days later we played against West Brom and Troy played, even though we played well against Sunderland.

"After Sunderland, Troy trained very well with the team and he played very well. We won again playing very well. We won both games with both of the choices.

"The third one, against Tottenham, we needed more help in the defensive phase and Okaka was more fresh. It doesn't mean Troy wasn't in a good physical condition.

"I took many things into my decision: the work, the recovery - all the things a manager takes into consideration."

On finishing the season strongly:  "No, not until the numbers say we are safe. I hope to achieve this objective as soon as possible.

"I tell my players to fight every game like it is a cup final.

"In the Premier League all matches are tough. Swansea won against Liverpool, they beat Leicester and won away at Crystal Palace, so this shows how hard it will be, but we will try to give our best as always." 

Paul Clement (Swansea City)

On the club's survival mission: "Clearly we're disappointed to have come off the back of five games and only picked up one point, and West Ham was probably the worst we've been since I've been at the club, but we have to move on quickly from that.

"I thought there was an anxiety in our play and it's difficult to say why that was the case. The mood this week was not so good in the first couple of days but spirits have really been lifted and we have belief going into this fixture.

"I'm always someone who will be very analytical about the players, the team and myself, and I think it's a strength of a coach to be able to say where you've not done well enough and what you can do to improve.

"I've told them that I've made some mistakes since I've been here - I'm a human being - and the most important thing is to learn from those things and try to limit those mistakes moving forward."

On plotting potential escape routes: "I've written the fixtures down for us, and all the teams in and around us in terms of our games, and I have looked a lot at our last six fixtures in terms of who we're playing and what their form is like.

"On their day Watford are a real handful because they've got big, athletic, physical players. They had a hard defeat against Tottenham last week but we are expecting a big challenge, and I think every game is going to be a big challenge until the end of the season."

On Jack Cork's injury: "He (Cork) will be a loss. However, this is a chance for someone to come in. Leon (Britton), Jay Fulton are possibilities and a shape change is a possibility too. Leon has a lot of experience and I have kept him close to the squad even though he has not been playing. He is a very positive influence.

"I know he wants to be playing but he has been very professional in putting the team ahead of his own thoughts and ideas." 

Watford v Swansea City: Our prediction 

1pt under 1.5 goals in Watford v Swansea at 12/5 - set to be tight in a match that the Swans need to win  

Our Nick Hext writes... Swansea’s downturn has seen them go odds-on for relegation heading into Saturday’s trip to Watford. 

However, I don’t think Paul Clement’s men are without hope and I wouldn’t be surprised by an away win at Vicarage Road. 

Odds of around 2/1 though for Swansea just aren’t inviting enough for me and I think there’s better value to be found in anticipating a cagey contest. 

Swansea fell to 1-0 defeat at West Ham last time out to follow on from a heart-breaking 3-1 loss at home to Tottenham, when they were leading 1-0 up until the 88th minute, and a goalless draw with fellow strugglers Middlesbrough before that. 

I just don’t see many goals ahead in this game and 12/5 for under 1.5 goals makes plenty of appeal.

Watford’s defence will have a point to prove after being embarrassed in the 4-0 capitulation at Tottenham last time out and that performance wasn’t reflective of their recent good work. 

The Hornets had claimed back-to-back home wins without conceding a goal before arriving at White Hart Lane so I’m prepared to give as much credit to Spurs’ rampant attack as I am to dish out criticism to Walter Mazzarri’s backline. 

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Mazzarri replaced in the summer but he’s done a decent job to keep the Hornets out of trouble this season after a slightly shaky start to his tenure. 

Swansea fans would love to be up in mid-table with Watford but their side’s work is far from done and has been hindered by an injury to midfield lynchpin Jack Cork. 

Leon Britton is finally set to make his first appearance since Clement took charge and it will be interesting to see how Cork���s absence affects this match. 

Swansea need the three points and that can make a surprise possible at this time of the season but Watford’s home form is strong enough to warrant respect and we'll focus on the prospect of a low-scoring game. 

Prediction: Watford 0-1 Swansea City 

Watford v Swansea City: Opta facts

This will be the fourth time Watford and Swansea have faced each other in the Premier League, while the Swans will do so with their fourth different manager since the first meeting in September 2015 (Garry Monk, Alan Curtis, Bob Bradley and Paul Clement). 

Watford and Swansea have combined to produce 68 shots (incl. blocks) in their three previous meetings in the competition, however only two goals have been scored (one each). 

The away side has yet to score in any of the previous three Premier League games between these two. o Valon Behrami’s only red card in 102 Premier League appearances came in this exact fixture last season (September 2015). 

Watford have been given a joint-league high four red cards in the Premier League this season, while no club have received as many yellow cards (72). 

Jose Holebas has been given 12 yellow cards in the Premier League this season; three more than any other player. He’s not been booked in any of his last four Premier League appearances, but is yet to go five in a row without a booking in 2016-17. 

A league-high 24% of the total shots that Swansea have attempted this season in the Premier League have been from headers, while they have also attempted the most headed shots (84). 

The Hornets have scored the highest proportion of goals in the opening 15 minutes of Premier League games this season – 25% (9/36). 

Swansea’s tally of 67 goals conceded is the joint-seventh highest by a side after 32 games of a Premier League season. All 14 teams to have conceded 64+ goals after 32 games in a Premier League season have been relegated. 

Troy Deeney has scored six goals in his last eight Premier League starts for Watford, including his last four appearances at Vicarage Road in the competition.   

Watford v Swansea City: Sky Bet odds

Watford are Sky Bet’s 7/5 favourites for the victory with Swansea priced at 19/10, while the draw is a 9/4 chance. The Hornets remain 40/1 chances to go down despite their mauling at Tottenham, while Paul Clement’s side are considered to be in far graver danger at 8/11 to face the drop. Troy Deeney heads the first goalscorer betting at 5/1 while Fernando Llorente and Gylfi Sigurdsson are tied at the head of the Swans’ side of the market at 6/1 apiece. 

Click for Sky Bet's Watford v Swansea City odds! 

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