EPL game of the week: Brighton vs. Watford

With the English Premier League in the middle of a winter break, only a few teams are playing this weekend. The biggest match is between teams in and around the relegation zone—Brighton and Watford. Brighton has gone 2-1-2 in the past five matches between these two teams, but with Watford trying to get out of the relegation zone, will it have the juice to earn three vital points?

Brighton is dangerously close to relegation

Brighton is out of the relegation zone but is not sitting pretty. With 26 points through 25 matches, the Seagulls are in 15th place in the Premier League table and two points above the relegation zone. They drew against West Ham last weekend, but they don’t have a win in their last five matches (two losses and three draws). That’s not going to help their quest to stay in the top flight.

Forward Neal Maupay has paced Brighton, with eight goals this season, but no one else on the roster has more than three goals. Aaron Connolly will need to step up with production up front, while Pascal Groß and Davy Pröpper will need to control the middle if Brighton wants to secure three points.

Watford desperately needs a win

Watford is in trouble. The Hornets have 23 points, which is only good enough for 19th in the table. They’re only a couple points south of the relegation line, which means any win is crucial. They lost 3-2 to Everton last weekend, which put them at 2-2-1 in the last five matches.

Watford's main issue has been scoring goals. The Hornets have tallied a league-worst 23 goals this season, and no one on the roster has scored more than four.

Ismaïla Sarr, Gerard Deulofeu, and Andre Gray need to come up with a way to start putting balls in the back of the net. The three forwards have just nine goals combined. Danny Welbeck, an established veteran, has not been able to provide much production either. He only has one goal in seven total appearances this season.

The Hornets have even more trouble defending. They have allowed 39 goals in 25 matches, and with only 13 matches left in the season, there isn’t much time to secure the points they need to jump above the relegation zone by season’s end. They’ll need a huge effort to win on the road.

Prediction: Brighton wins 4-1 (+3625)

Brighton comes in with the worst form, but it is going to open up in a big way. The last time these teams played was the first match of the season, a 3-0 Brighton victory. It will be another beatdown this time around.

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