Tranmere Rovers and Watford to finally play FA Cup replay
Tranmere Rovers vs Watford - 23/01/2020
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Tranmere Rovers and Watford will finally play their FA Cup third-round replay on Thursday night at Prenton Park. The two sides played out an incredible 3-3 draw in the first meeting at Vicarage Road.
Watford were 3-0 up at halftime but Tranmere Rovers scored three times in the second half to claim a replay. The two sides were supposed to play the replay a week ago, however, Prenton Park suffered a waterlogged pitch forcing the game to be re-scheduled.
Watford have a short turnaround having played on Tuesday night in the Premier League. Nigel Pearson’s team suffered a 2-1 defeat to relegation rivals Aston Villa and are now back in the bottom three.
A loss to Tranmere Rovers wouldn’t be the worst outcome for Watford. It would allow them to focus on surviving relegation in the league.
Due to the postponement of the replay, the winner of the match on Thursday night will play on Sunday against Manchester United. The good news is Tranmere Rovers or Watford will host the fixture versus the Red Devils.
Like Watford, Tranmere Rovers are fighting relegation. The League One team gained promotion from League Two last spring, but have found the third division to be difficult. Tranmere Rovers are winless in their last four league matches and lack momentum going into the game versus Watford.
On paper, Watford should gain a victory over Tranmere Rovers. They have the superior squad and despite losing to Aston Villa on Tuesday, are in good form. However, Tranmere Rovers will be playing at home and will have a rabid set of supporters cheering them on.
Pearson could rotate his side to face Tranmere Rovers with such a short period in between matches this week. Watford continue to have a number of players listed as injured heading into the replay.
Tom Cleverly and Will Hughes are both ruled out of the fixture. Defenders Sebastian Prodl and Daryl Janmaat, and forward Ismaila Sarr will join them on the sidelines as they are not expected to play.
Danny Welbeck is nearing fitness but not likely to feature. Full-back Kiko Femenia could be fit for selection.
Tranmere Rovers will have an upset on their minds but to be honest, neither team needs the added fixtures as they battle to ward off relegation in their respective divisions.
The first match between the teams saw over 2.5 goals in a six-goal thriller. Thursday night’s game should see fewer goals. Replays favour the Premier League teams, so don’t be surprised if Watford reach the fourth round.
Home team
Away team
Pred
Correct score
Avg. goals
Weather conditions
Coef.
Score
Live
coef.
FA
273340
2
1 - 2
3.75
8°
1.53
5.94
4.30
1.53
1
1
-1
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