Watford made a brilliant start to their Premier League campaign with four back-to-back wins but the Hornets seem to have lost momentum in recent weeks.
Javi Gracia’s men have managed to win only two of their last eight games in the Premier League and the Hornets have every reason to be disappointed with the 1-0 loss against Newcastle and the 1-1 draw against Southampton before the international break.
And they will be up against it once again when they play host to Liverpool on Saturday. The Reds have been in tremendous form in the Premier League and they will once again be the favourites to come away with all three points this weekend.
Watford will be without the services of right-back Daryl Janmaat who continues to be on the treatment table to nurse his knee injury while Tom Cleverly and Sebastian Prodl are also ruled out with long-term injuries.
Will Hughes is also unlikely to feature on Saturday as he is yet to recover from his calf injury.
He made some excellent saves in the last game against Southampton and has always been a reliable presence between the sticks.
The Spaniard offered plenty of encouragement with his exploits in the attacking third and also looked pretty solid at the back in the last game.
He is a very important player in the Hornets’ backline as they will need him to step up against a potent Liverpool attack.
Adrian Mariappa looked quite shaky at the back against Southampton and Javi Gracia should rely on the towering Belgian to fill the void in the heart of the defence.
He scored the all-important equaliser in the last game and has always chipped in with valuable assists from the left.
Had a poor game against Southampton by his standards and he will need to put his hand up against Liverpool.
The Englishman made some good challenges and looked comfortable on the ball. Gracia should hand him another start against Liverpool.
The Spaniard should be slotted into the right-hand side of the midfield to fill the void left by the injury to Will Hughes.
He has been one of the standout performers for the Hornets this season and will need to produce something special on Saturday against Liverpool.
He has been doing really well in recent weeks and Gracia should give him an extended run in the first-team.
Watford’s talisman made an immediate impact coming off the bench against Southampton and a lot will depend on him this weekend.