Watford v Leeds Utd Match Thread
26 Mar 2024 10:44 am, by Ellandback1
Friday 29th March 8:00pm | Vicarage Road
Leeds will be hoping they can pick up where they left off, as they travel down the M1 to face Tom Cleverley's Watford on Friday evening. The Whites are in a rich vein of form, picking up 37 out of a possible 39 points in 2024, and will be hoping the International break won't have hindered their momentum. Even so, only a point divides the top three. The two sides last met towards the end of September, when second half goals from Piroe, Byram and Anthony gave Daniel Farke's outfit a comfortable win in the end over Watford.
Daniel Farke has kept virtually the same side all year, but may be forced into several unforced changes. Georginio Rutter had keyhole surgery on a troublesome hernia injury, and although his recovery time (ten days) fits within the timescale of the game, he is unlikely to start. This could mean a rare opportunity for Joel Piroe to show his worth, starting alongside Patrick Bamford for the first time this season. The other alternative would be to experiment, playing both Wilfred Gnonto and Dan James, both of whom are in fantastic form.
Junior Firpo is also likely to miss out. He travels back from Peru on the day of the match, and likely to be jet lagged after a fifteen hour flight. Sam Byram, who scored his only goal of the season against the Hornets, is likely to deputise. Stuart Dallas and Pascal Struijk remain long term injury casualties, with the latter likely to have to undergo surgery on his troublesome groin.
Watford are optimistic Jamal Lewis, Ryan Andrews and James Morris will be passed fit to face Leeds. Giorgi Chakvetadze and Ismael Kone were to be assessed when they returned from international duty with Georgia and Canada respectively. Chakvetadze helped Georgia make it through to the 2024 European Championships while Kone was involved in Canada's qualification for the Copa America. Attacking midfielder Yaser Asprilla netted for Colombia in their 3-2 win over Romania.
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