Skip to content
Full Time After Extra Time This is a live match. Extra Time Half Time

Watford vs Arsenal. Premier League.

Vicarage RoadAttendance20,384.

Watford 2

  • T Deeney (71st minute pen)
  • T Cleverley (92nd minute)

Arsenal 1

  • P Mertesacker (39th minute)

Watford v Arsenal preview: Alexis Sanchez to be assessed ahead of Gunners trip

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 01:  Arsene Wenger manager of Arsenal looks on as Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott of Arsenal prepare to come on during the Premie
Image: Wenger's Arsenal are unbeaten in seven games in all competitions

Arsene Wenger will assess Alexis Sanchez's physical and mental condition ahead of Arsenal's trip to Watford on Saturday.

Sanchez only arrived back in London on Thursday after missing out on World Cup qualification with Chile, and may be left out of Wenger's squad for the Vicarage Road clash.

Arsenal, who are unbeaten in seven games in all competitions, haven't conceded in the Premier League since their 4-0 defeat by Liverpool in late August.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Watch a preview of Saturday's Premier League action

Watford's impressive start to the season sees them in eighth, but they are yet to win a game at home this season.

Team news

Watford manager Marco Silva will take a late decision on the fitness of Andre Carrillo for Saturday's game.

Carrillo, the winger on a season-long loan from Benfica, played for Peru in their 1-1 World Cup qualifier against Colombia on Wednesday night.

Forward Isaac Success has been ruled out for up to eight weeks with a knee injury, while Sebastian Prodl (thigh) is a doubt and Younes Kaboul (hamstring) remains sidelined.

Also See:

For Arsenal, Mesut Ozil and Danny Welbeck are available, having overcome knee and groin injuries respectively.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Arsene Wenger says Arsenal will be without Shkodran Mustafi for four to six weeks due a hamstring injury.

Shkodran Mustafi suffered a thigh strain over the international break and is set to be out for four to six weeks while Laurent Koscielny (Achilles) and Sead Kolasinac (hip) will be given late fitness tests. Calum Chambers (hip), Francis Coquelin (hamstring) and Santi Cazorla (ankle) are all out.

Opta stats

Arsene Wenger has won eight of his 10 matches versus Watford in all competitions as Arsenal manager (L2).

Watford have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last 10 matches against Arsenal in all competitions - they last kept a shutout vs the Gunners in April 1988 (1-0) when Tony Coton was in between the sticks for the Hornets.

Watford have made their best start to a Premier League season after seven games (12 points). Indeed, the Hornets have only won more points at this stage of a top-flight season once before, back in 1982-83 under Graham Taylor (15 points).

Watford are winless in their opening three home league games this season (D2 L1) - they've only failed to win their first four home games in six previous seasons, most recently in 2011-12 in the Championship.

Troy Deeney is without a goal in his last 13 league games, his longest goal-drought ever in the Premier League and his worst in league football since October 2011 (32 in total).

Paul Merson's prediction

This is a hard game for Arsenal. Watford were outstanding at West Brom. They were 2-0 down and Charlie Nicholas was doing the game on Soccer Saturday and every time they went to him it was Watford attacking.

Watford boss Marco Silva
Image: Watford have impressed away from home under Marco Silva, but are yet to win at Vicarage Road this season

It would be a big result if Arsenal won here. I know Man City scored six at Watford but Arsenal are not in the same class.

I wouldn't put Mesut Ozil back into the side. He doesn't work hard enough for the team. He is a top player but the least you can do is work hard. If you have got talent you have had a result - and he has talent - but I have seen players with much less talent than him have a bigger impact on games, which can't be right.

PAUL PREDICTS: 1-2 (7/1 with Sky Bet)

Betting

Arsenal are Sky Bet's odds-on favourites at 8/13 with Watford priced at 17/4 while the draw is a 100/30 chance. Alexandre Lacazette heads the first goalscorer betting at 3/1 and is enhanced from 7/2 to 11/2 to bag a brace in Sky Bet's Price Boosts, while Troy Deeney and Andre Gray are tied at 15/2 apiece to net first on the Hornets' side of the market.

Fantasy Head-to-Head
Fantasy Head-to-Head

Challenge a mate in our brand new Fantasy Football head-to-head mode. Play for free!

Around Sky