International football is all well and good, and when we say that, we mean it. It may not be as attractive in some ways when compared to the likes of the European domestic game, but at the end of the day, you’re still seeing the best in the world play the best in the world. There’s no comparison to the kind of talents that you see, but of course, it’s much nicer when you see them on a week to week basis. We’re at the point now where the respective countries have made their mark in the last two weeks, and the domestic big boys are ready to walk back into the arena.

In terms of the Premier League there are quite a few intriguing games to get us back into the flow of things, and arguably no match in that division this weekend is more fascinating than Manchester United vs Watford. These are two teams that haven’t exactly been viewed as being on par with one another over the course of the last few decades, and yet, here we are in 2019 and they’re pretty evenly matched. That’s always an exciting prospect especially at Old Trafford, where it used to be so hard to go and get any kind of positive result.

Manchester United have had their ups and their downs this season, but it certainly feels like things are steadying themselves out under the reign of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The Norwegian has now been given the job on a full time basis, which gives United a very clear direction for the future. They know what the next few years should look like under Ole, and his doubters will be able to see what he can do with a full summer transfer window under his belt. He could just as easily fail as he could succeed, which is kind of the intriguing thing about this.

Watford may not be a club that are known for their overwhelming popularity, but this season, it’s hard to deny that they’ve been amongst the most surprising (in a good way) teams in European football. Things just seem to have clicked into place for them and it really is pretty cool to see, because it’s always fun to see new teams in the mix for the Europa League spots. Between their push for 7th spot and their upcoming FA Cup semi final, it’s not exactly a stretch to suggest that this is a good time to be a Hornets fan.

United’s last six game stretch has been pretty intriguing, starting off with a 0-0 draw against rivals Liverpool. They were able to build off of that positive result with a win over Crystal Palace, before they edged out Southampton in a 3-2 thriller. They proceeded to pull off one of the results of the season so far in Europe by defeating Paris Saint-Germain in their own backyard, booking their place in the next round of the Champions League as a result. Sure, they lost back to back games against Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers, but the overriding emotion recently is still positive.

Watford’s last six began with a win over Queens Park Rangers in the FA Cup, but it wasn’t all too convincing. They rectified that with a 5-1 demolition of Cardiff City, but unfortunately, they were on the end of a beating of their own from Liverpool just days later. They got back to winning ways against Leicester City but it was a tough outing for them, and so was their next game against Manchester City who beat them 3-1. Their last outing served up probably their biggest result of the season so far, as they beat Crystal Palace 2-1 to reach the semi finals of the FA Cup.

The first fixture between these two clubs took place in 1950, and over the years there’s been one steady theme throughout: United dominance. They lead the overall head to head standings 21-5 with five draws thrown in there for good measure, and they’ve actually won 15 of their last 16 games against the Hornets. Their last meeting in September was pretty entertaining with Man United sneaking a 2-1 win, but it’s safe to say that both teams have evolved and come a long way since then.

Four names who withdrew from international duty, Martial, Shaw, Rashford & Matic, are all expected to be available for selection in this one as they seem to have recovered fully. Romelu Lukaku is probably more of a doubt due to a foot injury, meaning that we could see Rashford lead the line once again. Valencia is available for selection and Darmian could make some kind of appearance off the bench, but neither will be in the starting XI (we don’t think). Lindelof celebrated the birth of his first child over the international break, but should be around as a back-up selection.

Cathcart, Foster and Cleverley all used to ply their trade at Old Trafford, and all three will be incredibly eager to make some kind of impression on this game. Jose Holebas has had an ankle injury as of late and probably isn’t going to be risked, especially given that Watford have their FA Cup semi final against Wolverhampton Wanderers to consider. Aside from that they may rest one or two players, but for the most part, they’ll want to give a good account of themselves as it’s not every day you get to play at Old Trafford.

Manchester United vs Watford Betting Prediction

Keeping a good pace and making sure the tempo ‘works’ so to speak is going to be the best foot forward for Manchester United in this game. Watford are known for disturbing the flow of the teams around them when it comes to the big games, and they’ll try to do exactly that in front of what should be a pretty intimidating crowd. We think United are going to struggle to break them down in the first 45 minutes, but as has been the case for a few months now, they won’t panic and they’ll find themselves being able to rise to the occasion.

The Red Devils will score half way through the second half in order to take full advantage of the game, riding out the narrow lead until the full time whistle. Watford will probably get their shots in but they’ll find it difficult to pull the trigger in the right way, especially given how resolute United have been defensively lately. It’s still going to be a battle and United are going to have to work pretty hard in order to get the job done, but ruling them out is foolish at the best of times.

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