Dan takes a look at our fixture this weekend at Watford as Saints return to normality after our trip to Wembley.

After a heart-breaking but memorable outing to the home of football that is Wembley Stadium, Saints have to regroup and prepare for a crunch period that consists of 13 Premier League games before the end of the season. They must forget the disappointment of missing out on the EFL Cup but must remember the performance that left critics calling them “unlucky” and “the better team” in a cup final against the mighty Manchester United. Now we must look onto Watford and a trip to Vicarage Road.

Watford are currently in 12th position of the Premier League with one point more than us, however due to the final we have a game in hand. This proves how crucial this game is in the quest for a surge up the Premier League table. Three points at Vicarage Road could see Saints go to ninth place with a game in hand if results go our way (would have to be a minor miracle!) This is a mid-table clash where Saints fans would probably want to see only three points, a point at the very least, but this fixture has to definitely be seen as a game we cannot lose if we want to break into the top half of the table at the very least by the season’s close.

The Hornets are a relatable side to us in the fact that serious, key injuries have slowed down their progression in the Premier League after good spells which have seen them go up to seventh at one point. Now, they too would like to break the top half of the table but us an outsider, I feel like 11th-14th by the end of the season would be acceptable to the Watford faithful. Troy Deeney is their talisman upfront with M’baye Niang looking like a positive signing on loan from Milan. I won’t dwell too much on their players as I can’t honestly say that I know the Watford team well.

On to Saints, after an inspiring performance in the League Cup final, the team must make sure that they don’t allow their heads to drop after losing out to an 87th minute Ibrahimovic header and apply the sort of performance that us 31,500 fans plus those watching elsewhere saw to bring back three points before another two week break before a trip to Spurs.

Prediction: Whether this will be a game typical this season for heads dropping and a loss of concentration to emerge I do not know. What I hope, however, is for a performance similar to those that have dazzled the fans (like in the final) even though some changes are expected to be made from the last game. I’ll say 3-1 to the red and white but it could be more than that or it could be a game where we think that on paper we should’ve had more.

My line-up: Forster, Cedric, Caceres, Yoshida, Bertrand, Romeu, Davis, Hojbjerg, Redmond, Boufal, Gabbiadini

I do believe that despite promising performances from the lad, Jack Stephens’ time is up for this season as Martin Caceres looks likely to take centre-stage in the defence with his experience and well-known quality. Another change that I expect to be made is Ward-Prowse for Hojbjerg. Even though Prowsey has been superb recently, knowing Puel I expect rotation and can see Hojbjerg coming in for this game. Currently, I rate Redmond higher than Tadic because of goals, assists and general play. Tadic is nowhere the player that he has been the last two seasons whereas, for me, Nathan is showing signs of improvement and could finish the season with six or seven goals. Boufal should be back to full fitness and Gabbiadini is, well, Gabbiadini!

Photo: Action Images

dixiefrog added 10:02 - Mar 2 Good article and I also see the Boss rotating the squad with JWP and Tadic dropping to the bench. It might be contentious but I can also see Forster being replaced by Alex McCarthey, I'm not sure what's wrong with Forster whether it be a falling out with the Boss, transfer request or something in his private life, but he looks a shadow of the keeper he once was. Despite the inevitable changes I see a 1-3 win for the mighty Saints.

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legod7 added 10:52 - Mar 2 I agree Tadic did not have a very good final. Btw Alex McCarthey is injured. Also why would anyone think about dropping JWP. After Gabbiadini he was the best Saints player in the final.
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redandwhitedee added 13:07 - Mar 2 Bouffal was bought no doubt ultimately to replace Tadic in the summer.. usual forward planning by our mgt team. JWP should definately NOT be dropped after recent performances. We don't need to rotate if no games thereafter. This is a vital, vital match - we need the best team and that is the Wembley team - possibly swapping Bouffal for Tadic only.
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SanMarco added 21:06 - Mar 2 'Rotating' when we are on a run of what will be 4 games in 6 weeks?? Cacares for Stephens and this new keeper for FF and keep the rest the same for me - they played very well....
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