Champions League hopefuls Chelsea host struggling Watford at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening in the Premier League, with Frank Lampard looking for a response after his side's defeat to West Ham on Wednesday.
The Blues are still fourth, having missed the chance to go third, and are just two points ahead of the chasing pack, led by Manchester United and Wolves. Despite looking dangerous in attack in every match of the restart so far, some of their defending has been questionable at best.
Watford - who lost to Southampton on Sunday - were unfortunate victims of Chelsea's defeat, with the result sending the Hammers above the Hornets in the table and putting extra pressure on Nigel Pearson as he tries to manufacture a relegation escape.
Where to Watch
When Is Kick Off? Saturday 4 July
What Time Is Kick Off? 20:00 (BST)
Where Is it Played? Stamford Bridge
TV Channel/Live Stream? Sky Sports (UK), FuboTV (US)
Referee? Kevin Friend
Team News
Chelsea welcomed Callum Hudson-Odoi back to the matchday squad last time out, though he didn't feature, so don't expect him to be making the starting XI just yet. Fikayo Tomori is working his way back from a muscle problem and may also make the bench on Saturday.
Lampard will most likely ring the changes after the West Ham defeat, with his defence probably needing a shake up after conceding three at the London Stadium.
Watford will likely welcome back the trio of players who were dropped after attending a party in lockdown. Andre Gray, Domingos Quina and Nathaniel Chalobah were all reprimanded but such is Watford's precarious position, it's hard to envision them being sidelined for too much longer.
Isaac Success, Daryl Janmaat and Gerard Deulofeu are all long term absentees and won't feature again this season.
Predicted Lineups
Chelsea: Arrizabalaga; James, Rudiger, Zouma, Azpilicueta; Kante, Kovacic, Mount; Willian, Giroud, Pulisic.
Watford: Foster; Femenia, Cathcart, Kabasele, Holebas; Hughes, Capoue; Sarr, Doucoure, Pereyra; Deeney.
Recent Form
Chelsea were flying high before the West Ham defeat, with wins over Aston Villa and Manchester City in their opening two fixtures as well as the victory over Leicester in the FA Cup.
Forwards Willian and Christian Pulisic have been the standouts thus far, playing a part in five of Chelsea's seven goals since the restart.
Watford have had a disappointing return to action, managing just a point from their first three games, and they remain very much in danger of dropping into the Championship.
A solid draw against Leicester was followed up by defeats to Burnley and a rampant Southampton, where a brace from Danny Ings sent them packing.
Watford are the only team in the Premier League this season to score in a game despite not having a single shot on target.
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) June 28, 2020
The first team to do this since November 2017. pic.twitter.com/S2zqmasQo0
The last time these sides met was in November, when goals from Pulisic and Tammy Abraham proved enough to take all three points at Vicarage Road in a 2-1 away win.
Both sides' recent results in all competitions are below.
Chelsea
West Ham 3-2 Chelsea (1/7)
Leicester 0-1 Chelsea (28/6)
Chelsea 2-1 Manchester City (25/6)
Aston Villa 1-2 Chelsea (21/6)
Chelsea 4-0 Everton (8/3)
Watford
Watford 1-3 Southampton (28/6)
Burnley 1-0 Watford (25/6)
Watford 1-1 Leicester (22/6)
Crystal Palace 1-0 Watford (7/3)
Watford 3-0 Liverpool (29/2)
Prediction
Chelsea will be furious with their display at the London Stadium, where they were guilty of switching off at the back on countless occasions despite controlling possession and creating scoring opportunities throughout the match.
Watford have had a full six days to recover from their last outing, whereas the Blues will have had just under three. This could certainly play into the Hornets' hands, as they are a good counter attacking side when in form. However, that form has been hard to come by since the resumption of play.
Goals are likely in this one due to both sides' leaky defences but Chelsea's offensive quality and strength in depth, particularly off the bench, should be enough to steal a narrow win and return to form after a slight wobble.
Prediction: Chelsea 2-1 Watford
Source: 90min
