Leicester City vs Watford

Leicester City and Watford go head-to-head in an exciting FA Cup third-round tie at the King Power Stadium.

Leicester City pulled off a hard-earned 1-0 home win over Premier League hard-hitters Liverpool to round 2021 off in style, ending a run of back-to-back competitive defeats. However, a Covid-19 outbreak at the King Power Stadium threatens Leicester’s hopes of stretching their unbeaten H2H streak against Watford to four matches (W2, D1). Adding to their confidence, the ‘Foxes’ have ousted Watford from all three of their previous FA Cup ties, though it’s worth noting that their last such match-up dates back to 1982. Brendan Rodgers’ men conquering this competition in 2020/21 is another good omen, as just once in the last nine seasons have the reigning FA Cup holders failed to go past the third round. What’s more, the hosts have won four consecutive home games in the build-up to this clash, scoring an average of 3.0 goals per match in that run.

On the other hand, Watford’s heartbreaking 1-0 home loss to Tottenham Hotspur on New Year’s Day extended their embarrassing losing streak to six matches, marking their first scoring blank after six games. Curiously, none of Watford’s eight competitive away fixtures this season have ended level (W2, L6), with Claudio Ranieri’s men losing the last three on the trot by an aggregate score of 7-3. The signs are ominous for the ‘Hornets,’ as they have failed to navigate their way past the FA Cup third round in the last two seasons and could make it three third-round eliminations in three successive years for the first time in 16 years. After losing their last six competitive games away to Leicester – all of which saw them concede 2+ goals – Watford’s hopes of avoiding that scenario look rather slim.