On Sky
The Hornets face the Seagulls on the south coast knowing that two more wins in the final two games will see Watford promoted to the Premier League as champions. Brighton are now safe from relegation, but will be eager to put a spanner in the works for Slavisa Jokanovic’s men and their ambitions.
Seagulls boss Chris Hughton may make changes to his squad now that relegation is no longer a possibility, and he may find that freshening up his starting 11 yields an easiness and lack of pressure that has perhaps been missing from the squad after a poor season on the whole.
The Hornets have now won four in a row, and sit at the top of the Championship. Although just three points separate the top four teams in the league, it is possible that Watford could be promoted on Saturday evening if they win at the Amex at lunch time. Should fourth-placed Norwich fail to win against Rotherham and Middlesbrough, who sit third, lose their game at Fulham, Watford will not be able to drop lower than second regardless of the result at Bournemouth on Monday night.
All sorts of possible scenarios have been played out by Watford fans over the past week, but Jokanovic will have just one thing on his mind right now, and that’s the game in front of him and his squad at Brighton.
Vital Quotes:
Slavisa Jokanovic:
‘Our focus? Brighton, Brighton and Brighton.
‘I always believe in my team and I know that our supporters believe in them as well – they have showed this on many occasions.
‘We are in a great position. I would say there is more pressure at the bottom of the Championship than where we are finding ourselves.
‘We’re happy to have this kind of pressure. We are enjoying the situation. Pressure is normal; this is professional football.
‘We are preparing in a similar way to all the games.
‘What is under my control and control from my players is our performance and how we are going to concentrate on our match.
‘We cannot have control over other teams’ results or performances, so we won’t spend any energy thinking of this.
‘I expect a tough match. Chris [Hughton] is a proud coach and his team will be wanting to put his best face on in front of his supporters for the last time this season.
‘We are thinking about winning this match and nothing else.
‘There is a clear plan for the players to follow and our supporters must follow their plan too: support us as always, please.
‘Three-thousand of our supporters at another man’s stadium is going to be a big help. Away from home our fans have been fantastic to support us, and now at home they start to believe with us as well with makes a great atmosphere.
‘It is a great moment. We don’t achieve anything yet but we can enjoy a little bit what we are doing.
‘Now we must concentrate and be ready for what is in front of us.
‘I don’t expect any team to be kind and let us have three points. We have had to work very hard to get everything this season and this is our expectation of the last two games.
‘We are changing nothing. We are the same people, we have the same approach and our target is still the same: to focus on each match on its own.’
Read more here.
“I`ve played in many big games, and it is clear that the game in front of us is one of the most important games in my life.
“As a football player and coach I`ve played many games. The books say I`ve played many games but in real life I know there is no memory in football.
“What is more important is what I prepare for and how focused I am on Brighton. There is pressure but we must be happy and enjoy our moment.
“I am not thinking about the title. I must wait and see if that arrives. I am only thinking about Brighton because that is easier for me and the players.
“I believe that is the right way. Sorry I can`t give you more information and you must fight to find a headline.”
He added: “Some people have called me [to talk about promotion] and some people have called the players. I try to switch off my mobile and look at what is immediately ahead of us.
“That would be good for them (the players) too. We haven`t done anything yet.
“We can make really important steps but many things depend on us. I can`t think about many different things, that wouldn`t be good for us.”
Read more here.
Almen Abdi:
“We have everything in our hands but we know what the Championship is all about.
“I know teams like Brighton and Sheffield Wednesday don`t have as much to play for but it`s still going to be very tough.
“If a team doesn`t have anything to play for, especially in England, they are more relaxed. We know it from two years ago when we had Leeds on the last game.
“It`s always difficult, all the pressure is on us, and Brighton have a better team than the table says. But with the quality in the team that we have I think we can do it.
“It`s the best feeling when you have pressure and you win the games.
“You could feel a little bit of pressure against Birmingham, but when you have a full stadium, like we did on Saturday, and Craig scored the goal it was unbelievable. Then we started to enjoy the game.
“Pressure is a part of football. I`m used to having pressure throughout my career and everyone else is as well, so that is not a problem.”
Read more here.
Chris Hughton:
“At the moment, Watford are in pole position and they won`t want to relinquish that. It`s an added incentive for us because it`s a big game, we`ve fared reasonably well in the big games and it`s an exciting one to finish off the home season.
“They will approach the game as they normally do. They are the type of team who can score at any time during the game. They have an attacking philosophy and they have players that can score goals.
“For a lot of the time this season, they`ve been trying to get their goalscorers in the team. They have [Troy] Deeney, [Fernando] Forestieri and [Matej] Vydra who are all very offensive players and are goalscorers. They try to organise systems where they can get those three in the team. Their philosophy will be the same as it is in any other game and they will be confident that they can score goals.
“I am very conscious of the responsibility that we have in our last two games. We have a responsibility to all of the teams around there to do the best we can in both of these games.”
Read more here.
Brighton and Hove Albion Team News:
As previously mentioned, Brighton boss Chris Hughton may end up looking to a small number of fringe players ahead of tomorrow’s game. Now that the threat of relegation has lifted, the Seagulls starting 11 may have a slightly different look to it as the coaching staff begin to make plans for next season.
Joao Teixeira (broken leg), Sam Baldock and Andrew Crofts (both knee) are all out injured, but Rohan Ince and Chris O’Grady are available for selection.
Player to watch: Inigo Calderon
Calderon isn’t the most glamourous of players, but he has a lot of experience behind him, and can bring the best out of his team mates.
Having signed a new contract at the Amex earlier this week, he will be keen to repay the club that has continued to have faith in him, and I expect a good performance from him tomorrow.
Watford Team News:
Matthew Connolly (tight hamstring) missed out last weekend but has been back in full training since, and is in contention to play a part.
Sean Murray and Joel Ekstrand (both knee) are long-term absentees.
Player to watch: Troy Deeney
At times it looked like Troy Deeney was trying to drag Watford over the line last weekend against Birmingham. When we needed it, Deeney was there to put in that extra bit of work to win the ball back, hold the ball up, put pressure on the opposition. He was everywhere when he needed to be.
The captain and leader on the pitch, Deeney is sure to have a say in the final run-in, and his contribution does not have to be in the form of goals at this stage. He has shown he has the right mentality, and I expect him to pick up where he left off at Vicarage Road on Saturday.
Pre-match minute’s silence
Please note, kick-off tomorrow will be preceded by a minute`s silence to mark the 30th anniversary of the Bradford Fire Disaster in which 56 supporters lost their lives and hundreds more were injured.
Blast from the (recent) past…
Watch Matej Vydra leave the Brighton defence in his wake in 2012 here.
