Watford forward Troy Deeney. (Photo : Getty Images)
Middling club Watford FC (6-8-3, 21 points) will look to snap a two-game losing slide as they face lowly team Crystal Palace FC (4-10-3, 15 points) at the Vicarage Road on Monday, Dec. 26 as round 18 of the 2016-2017 Premier League season commences.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 7:30 a.m. ET. It can be viewed live online thru FuboTV.
Watford has lost four of their last five matches to drop to the 12th spot of the English top flight table. The team is now 12 points below the Europa League qualifying spot presently held by fifth-place squad Tottenham Hotspur and 13 points behind the final Champions League berth for next season occupied by Arsenal.
The Hornets are coming off a heartbreaking 0-1 loss to erstwhile cellar-dwellers Sunderland on the road at the Stadium of Light last Saturday for their second consecutive defeat, as per BBC Sport.
Dutch defender Patrick van Aanholt netted the only goal of the match in the 49th minute for the Black Cats. Following a cross from Jermain Defoe, van Aanholt's first attempt clanged off the post but he buried his second try on the rebound.
It was the third shutout loss for head coach Walter Mazzarri's side in the last five rounds as Watford seemed to be having problems on the attacking end.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace also succumbed to its second straight loss, dropping a sorry 0-1 game to current league leaders Chelsea at their home ground of Selhurst Park also last Saturday, Goal reported.
Chelsea forward Diego Costa was the lone goal-scorer in the match as he hit a header in the 43rd minute off a pass by teammate Cesar Azpilicueta.
It was Palace's fourth loss in their last six games as well. The team is now in the 17th spot of the league table, only one point above the bottom three relegation area.
Prediction and Predicted Lineup
The predicted result is a 1-0 win by Watford.
Watford starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): Gomes; Holebas, Britos, Kaboul, Prödl; Zuniga, Capoue, Amrabat, Behrami; Deeney, Ighalo
Crystal Palace starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Hennessey; Ward, Delaney, Kelly, Dann; Puncheon, Cabaye; McArthur, Zaha, Ledley; Benteke
