Hot Hammers to roast the Hornets

By CandH’s top blogger Allen Cummings

It’s already been dubbed the £50m game – a match that will almost certainly ensure the victors another season in the ridiculously lucrative Premier League.

So as games go West Ham v Watford at the London Stadium is definitely a ‘big one’ but it’s a challenge I believe David Moyes’ team is ready for – and more than capable of rising to.

Nigel Pearson’s side won’t make it easy that’s for sure. They are a big, strong and physical outfit and not afraid to show it. No-one is expecting them to be brushed aside the way Norwich City were last Saturday.

But with the confidence gained from that emphatic victory at Carrow Road, and the fact that despite the obvious pressure, the team now appear to be playing with a spirit and a desire absent for so much of the season, I believe we will have just too much for the Hornets to handle.

There won’t be anyone on the pitch on Friday with a bigger swagger than Michail Antonio. Mickey has been such a workhorse in that lone striker role since the restart, now the goals are starting to flow for him.

Time for Jarrod Bowen to reopen his goal scoring account

He’s on a roll and I see no reason why that shouldn’t continue. Thomas Soucek is another who has thrived since the restart – so too has Jarrod Bowen. Unlike the other two, Jarrod hasn’t got his reward in the shape of goals yet – but he’s been pretty damned close at times – which suggests the first since the resumption can’t be far away.

Friday would be perfect timing for him to re-open his account.

Watford arrive on the back of a win themselves in their last game, but it took two Troy Deeney penalties to claim the points. Deeney is vital to Watford as a player and captain, but his manager reluctantly admits he’s carrying a “grumbly” knee.

Let’s hope when he leaves the London Stadium it won’t only be his knee that’s grumbling! The Hertfordshire club have conceded 10 goals in the six games they have played since the restart, which suggests they are not exactly water tight at the back, giving encouragement that we can add to the nine we’ve scored in the last four games.

For the record we’ve met Watford on 78 previous occasions – the first being back in the old Southern League days – there’s a name from the past.

So far we’ve won more than twice as many encounters as we’ve lost – 44 wins to 21 defeats, with 13 draws. Most recently we enjoyed a fine 3-1 victory at Vicarage Road back in August. I’m guessing Rush Green will have been a pretty happy place this last week.

Our last home game against Burnley was disappointing for the result, not necessarily the overall performance. Before that of course we savoured the jubilation of beating Chelsea – again, with a clinical display on the night!

A similar performance will be more than enough to secure another vital three points for ‘Moyes’ boys!