Leeds United sit at the summit of the Championship table and are massive favourites to earn automatic promotion to the Premier League at the end of the season. Despite their FA Cup exit at the hands of Millwall, the Whites remain the most consistent team in the league and are on a terrific run of form, which involves five straight clean sheets. The Yorkshire giants are set to travel to Vicarage Road to take on Watford tonight in a key Championship clash. The Hornets are in poor form, winning just one of their last nine games. However, a trip to Hertfordshire is never easy for any team in the league and Leeds have been warned getting a result is not a given.
The Whites are sitting comfortably at the top of the league table and are looking like a team who are on their way back to the top flight at the end of the campaign.
However, the Championship remains a notoriously difficult league to predict and even the most benign of games on paper have a way of springing up surprising results.
Watford are not in form at the moment, winning just one of their last nine league games but they are coming into the fixture against Leeds United with some confidence following a 2-2 draw at promotion-chasing Sunderland.
Leeds should be getting all three points given the gulf between the two sides but as I said, in the Championship no team are ever away from producing a shock result and Watford are still a decent side on paper.
When the two sides met early in the season, Leeds narrowly edged out the Hornets 2-1 at Elland Road and Watford boss Tom Cleverly has not forgotten that result.
Tom Cleverley wants Leeds United to remember how hard a side Watford were at Elland Road
Leeds really had to dig deep and protect the lead in their win over Watford at Elland Road in October after Largie Ramazani and Brenden Aaronson scored early in the game.
Watford sit tenth in the league table despite their poor run of form and are just three points off the playoff spots, which is a testament to the quality of their team.
They will start as underdogs against a Leeds side who seem to be on a roll in the league and Cleverley is expecting a tough test against the Championship leaders.
However, he is certain that Farke remembers the Watford side that made life difficult for Leeds at home and believes they were probably the toughest opposition the Whites have faced this season.
Leeds also only managed a draw on their trip to Watford last season and Cleverley pointed out that his side have given the Whites two tough games in the last year, which shows that a win for the away side tonight is not a certainty.
“It’s going to be a really tough test for us, but I think Danie [Farke] would say that the game at Elland Road is probably the best opposition they’ve faced this season”, Cleverly told Watford’s in-house media.
“The home game against Leeds last season was a massive test for them, and I expect tomorrow to be another massive test.
“I’m sure Daniel will be expecting a tough test because we’ve shown a good side of ourselves twice in 10 months.”
Leeds should take heart from their record against Watford
A trip to Watford will be tough and Cleverley is right the past two meetings between the two sides were close and Leeds are not certain to beat them tonight.
However, Leeds’ recent record against Watford shows that they are still massive favourites to walk away with three points or at least not lose at Vicarage Road tonight.
For starts, the Hornets have one win in nine league games and their record against Leeds shows they have not won in their past five meetings against them.
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The away side also have a decent record at Vicarage Road, losing just twice in their last ten trips, including five wins. Watford have also lost their last five league games at home.
Leeds are unbeaten in their past 13 league games (W9 D4), keeping five clean sheets in a row. The Whites last kept six clean sheets in a row in 2017
Anything can happen on a given night, but recent form and Leeds’ record at Watford suggest they have more than a decent chance of walking away with all three points.
