Manchester United are looking to get back on track in the Premier League as they face Watford at Vicarage Road on Sunday.
United have been something of a Jekyll & Hyde side this season: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side have beaten Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester City, Leicester City and are the only team to take points off Liverpool... but those results only tell half the story.
The Red Devils have failed time and again in trying to break down teams who sit deep, and were frustrated again in midweek as they followed up wins over Spurs and Man City with a 1-1 home draw against struggling Everton.
Watford are bottom of the table and on their third manager this season with Nigel Pearson in charge, but if form is anything to go by this term, United could well struggle - especially if the Hornets play like they did against Liverpool last Saturday.
Premier League preview
Watford vs Manchester United
Venue: Vicarage Road
Date: Sunday, 22 December, 2019
Kick-off time: 2pm GMT
Prediction
Watford 1-2 Man Utd: The Hornets were impressive at Anfield despite falling to a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool last time out, and United will be made to work hard here.
There is no doubting that Solskjaer's side have the quality to take all three points, but tactics and mentality have been their big problems this season. Inviting Watford to attack could be their best move here.
Betting tips and odds via Betfair exchange
Match odds
- Watford to win: 4/1
- Draw: Between 3/1 and 16/5
- Man Utd to win: 4/5
| Scoreline | Watford win | United win | Draw |
| 1-0 | 14/1 | 15/1 | 15/2 | 0-0 (14/1) |
| 2-0 | 26/1 | 17/2 | 1-1 (7/1) |
| 2-1 | 15/1 | 16/1 | 8/1 | 2-2 (15/1 | 16/1) |
| 3-0 | 17/2 | 16/1 | 17/1 |
Odds provided by Betfair Exchange. Click here to place a bet. Odds correct as of December 19.
Tickets
For ticket information, click here to visit Watford's official website.
United away tickets are currently unavailable.
Team news
Paul Pogba is set to miss out after falling sick, though it remains to be seen whether he will play for United again with the January transfer window fast approaching.
Elsewhere for United, Diogo Dalot is pushing for a return along with Marcis Rojo - but Eric Bailly and Timothy Fosu-Mensah remain sidelined.
As for Watford, Pearson has a few problems to contend with. Danny Welbeck, Tom Cleverley, Sebastian Prodl, Jose Holebas and Daryl Janmaat are all out injured, though Adam Masina and Roberto Pereyra may be ready for the weekend.
Predicted lineups
Watford (4-2-3-1): Foster; Mariappa, Kabasele, Cathcart, Femenia; Capoue, Hughes; Sarr, Doucoure, Deulofeu; Deeney
Man Utd (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; McTominay, Fred; James, Lingard, Rashford; Martial
TV channel and live stream information
The match will be shown live on Sky Sports' Premier League and Main Event channels, and is available via Now TV with a day pass on offer for £8.99. Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match online via SkyGo and the SkyGo app.
You can follow all the action on our LIVE match blog with James Robson at the Etihad.
Head to head (H2H) results history
United dominate this fixture with 11 Premier League wins out of 12. The Red Devils won both fixtures 2-1 last season.
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