please log in to view this image V please log in to view this image Npower Championship Play-Off Semi-Final First Leg Venue: King Power Stadium Kick-off: 19:45 Please forgive the brevity of this match thread. Like the ticketing arrangements - it has been clumsily thrown together as an afterthought. Well here we are. Play-offs it is. After a Saturday with more twists and turns, ins and outs and ups and downs than some of the less-than-wholesome videos that inexplicably end up in my Download folder - we find ourselves in the [cliché]lottery of the Play-Offs[/cliché]. We face a Leicester side that, to be honest, scraped in after a bit of a wobble in the last quarter of the season. But hey - they took care of Forest and Bolton by getting there. Current Form Leicester City last 3 home games 1-2 (Us !) 3-2 (Bolton) 2-2 (Birmingham) Watford last 3 away games 2-1 (Them !) 0-1 (Millwall) 2-3 (Peterborough) Recent Clashes Well look above for a start. Goals from Troy Deeney and a Nathan Chalobah screamer sealed the deal. Harry Kane got one back for Leicester. At The Vic earlier in the season Almen Abdi and Fessi opened the scoring and David Nugent replied. Injuries and Suspensions Here it gets messy. Watford are certainly without Troy Deeney after the red-mist descended on Saturday. The other long-term injuries we all know about. Fitz Hall will add some much needed steel to the squad, but may not start. Now - the goalkeeping dilemma... It remains to be seen if Manuel Almunia and Jonathon Bond will be fit. The last time Alumina's hamstring went 'twang' he was out for a few weeks. Bond was shipped off to Italy on Monday to have a protective mask fitted. But the club have remained tight-lipped on their status. I am expecting Jack Bonham to be in the squad. Leicester loanees Michael Keane and Harry Kane are available to play. As are the two Watford loanees, Matthew Briggs and Nathan Chalobah. Those to watch David Nugent (probably). Quotes from Last Weekend From the Met Office please log in to view this image The weather forecast for the evening is 10 degrees. Rain could remain from earlier so the pitch maybe heavy. There could also be gusty wind (in more ways than one). Prediction To be honest, I am not even going to bother. So many factors changed on Saturday that.... Ah bollocks to it - 2-1 Watford (again). COYH.
Nice one Saxet - 5*s from me... A bit nervous on this game, but I think a repeat of the league game is on the cards, so 1-2 to Watford
Ditto Saxet.... I see Saturday as a blip due to unforeseen circumstances....... based on that I should go for another Watford win..... However I think a draw more likely... I hope I am wrong....
Ditto Saxet.... I see Saturday as a blip due to unforeseen circumstances....... based on that I should go for another Watford win..... However I think a draw more likely... I hope I am wrong....
I hope we do not score too many in the away leg as it would be good to see another big crowd at the Vic on Sunday. Actually I think it will be very close Thursday, with everything to play for Sunday. Difficult to say which way it will go.
Without going too much into previous postings elsewhere - I too felt we looked nervous on Saturday and i really hope we don't continue to do so as if we do we have lost before we have even started. Much will depend on who is in goal I think as I feel a lot of our nervousness started from having a rookie goalie take over and the defence knowing they had to defend him as well as trying to win. Deeney's stupidity didn't help either taking us down to 10 men and I really don't know whats the matter with Vydra. On the plus side Forestieri was well up for the challenge as was Abdi, Doyley and Anya and if we follow their example we have a good chance of winning both legs. I'll go for a 1-2 away win followed by a worrying (but ultimately successful) 1-1 draw at home.
David Nugent isn't the one to watch. Matty James and Andy King have been our best 2 players in recent weeks but the one to watch is Anthony Knockaert. Last week was the first time in ages Knockaert played like his normal self If he plays like that again he will take some stopping
my oh my you lot are confident aren't you? remember, you lost 2nd place effectively, we gained 6th place, psychologically that could be key
Nice thread Saxet, you Hornets will have my full support over both legs of the semi-final and at Wembly as you reach the Premier League! Anything less will be a travesty!
Yes of course we're confident - not point being otherwise - I hope our confidence rubs off on the team too.
Not all of us Foxy. I think the first leg will be key, but I worry about our home form. The players were very low at the end of the game on Saturday, so I am hoping for some top motivation from Zola.
this is where managers earn their corn---very tough task to re-invigorate mentally exhausted psyches, but if any one can it will be a five foot genius from italy...
WATFORD 2 LEICESTER CITY 2 LEICESTER CITY 3 WATFORD 1 ================ Leicester City to beat brighton in the Final. Just my opinion.
The reaction to Saturday really is the great unkown. Certainly Leicester fans and players will be on the up as they managed to secure it on the last day but we have to believe that we can do it. At times the other week when we were 2-0 up we seemed to almost take our foot off the gas and when Leicester came at us they looked dangerous. Still, we did beat them and we now need to go and do it again.
Wouldnt recommend indulging in dialogue with the 'Gentleman' known as Proud Fox. Instead of appearing grateful that his team somehow (and undeserving in my humble opinion) have scraped into the playoffs, in the safety of his own pages he's advocating inflicting more damage on Hornets Keepers. Highly sporting, bit desperate measures too ?
Its football mate If Almunia plays how is it wrong in us closing down your defenders trying to get him to kick it long? Yeah I said smash Bond from a corner but its all part of being a goalkeeper
The players felt they had blown it after the Peterborough defeat but were able to pick themselves up for it to go into the last game. Everything that could go wrong did on Saturday. I'm quite hopeful because we have goals throughout the side but much will depend on the goalkeeping situation. If Almunia starts I will be mightily relieved.
All depends on who the referee is! Proud fox - there's a world of difference between "testing" a keeper to see if he's fully fit and deliberately smashing one up.
