3 bold Premier League predictions: Troy Deeney scores as Watford beat Tottenham

Matchday 23 of the Premier League is almost upon us and there are some great fixtures to look forward to. Here are three bold predictions for all the action.

The Premier League season is now comfortably past the half-way mark and whilst it looks like there’s only going to be one winner (Liverpool) there’s still plenty to play for in the rest of the league.

Watford and Tottenham kick-off matchday 23 in Saturday’s early game whilst Newcastle host Chelsea in the later game on the same day. The biggest match of the weekend sees Manchester United travel to Anfield to face their bitter rivals, Liverpool.

Here are three bold predictions for all the action:

3. Troy Deeney scores as Watford beat Tottenham

Watford and Tottenham open up the Premier League weekend in Saturday’s early kick-off. Just over a month ago this game could only have resulted in a Tottenham victory as Watford were producing relegation soccer week in week out. Then Nigel Pearson took over at Vicarage Road and everything became a lot more positive for Hornets fans.

Watford have only lost once since Pearson took over — away at Liverpool — and most importantly they’ve managed to climb out of the relegation zone. They aren’t clear from safety by any means but they now look like a team that’s more than capable of remaining in this division.

Tottenham have had some struggles of their own recently which have suggested that Jose Mourinho might not have been the right man for the job after all. The Portuguese manager got off to a fantastic start with Spurs his side have been inconsistent of late, only winning one of their last five matches.

A trip away at Watford should present Spurs with a very good opportunity to record back-to-back victories for the first time since November. Mourinho’s side will need to provide more attacking threat than they have in recent away fixtures at Southampton and Middlesbrough though.

Watford will look to produce a performance similar to their 2-0 victory over Manchester United in December. The Hornets were defensively sound in that game and controlled the match from start to finish. They didn’t just sit back for the whole match either but instead pushed forward with calculated and well-organized attacks.

Nigel Pearson seems to have brought a bit of simplicity back to Watford and this was even more evident in their 3-0 win over Bournemouth last weekend. There was nothing too audacious in their play and when they had the opportunity to cross the ball or play a ball into space then a pass was made. The end result wasn’t always perfect but it seemed to increase the confidence of the Watford players.

Watford will stick to their defensive duties this weekend and frustrate a Tottenham side that’s lacked potency going forward of late. Troy Deeney and Ismaila Sarr will score in a 2-0 win over Spurs.