Hull v Watford: Hosts to keep afloat with another home win

Hull v Watford
Saturday April 22, 15:00 BST

Hull

There was plenty of doom and gloom around Hull this season and while they enjoyed some fine results under Mike Phelan, things have really brightened up since Marco Silva was appointed to replace him as manager.

The one key factor in Silva's success has been their form in front of their own fans. Results on their travels have still been terrible - they come into this game on the back of two away defeats - but at the KCOM it's three wins on the spin and 16 points from a possible 18.

There are no new injury concerns for The Tigers but it will be interesting to see if they stick with a 4-2-3-1 system, or start with two forwards. Either way, Oumar Niasse will definitely play up front and he's got four goals in 12 Premier League appearances.

Watford

The Hornets are safely located in 10th place on the magic 40 point mark, with their survival secured thanks to three straight victories at Vicarage Road - all of while were to nil.

The main task for Walter Mazzarri now will be to keep his players going until the end of the campaign as traditionally, teams in this position at this stage of the season can often drop off, as their heads are full of sun, sea, sand and sangria.

Miguel Britos has had a little break of his own recently due to suspension, but he is available for selection and that's good news for the manager as Craig Cathcart and Younes Kaboul are doubts.

Match Odds
Hull 1.95 Watford 4.50 The Draw 3.75

Just about everything is pointing towards a home win. Hull need the points as they are only two points above Swansea and there is now a yawning five point gap to Bournemouth above them. Watford on the other hand, as mentioned, have achieved their season aim.

Then we have the recent form of the two clubs and the hosts have been unstoppable on this ground under Silva. Not only have they been winning, they've also been scoring plenty of goals as they put two past Liverpool, Swansea and West Ham, three past Bournemouth and last time out at home, they netted four against Middlesbrough.

Watford on the other hand have fallen to three defeats in their three most recent outings on the road and they didn't even manage a goal. They did beat Arsenal at the Emirates prior to that, but that was an anomaly, as they went into that game having taken one point from a possible 18 away from home.

Over/Under 2.5 Goals
Over 2.5 Goals 2.08 Under 2.5 Goals 1.92

Desperate times call for desperate measures and that has been reflected in Hull's increased scoring rate in 2017. Their last three at the KCOM have all seen over 2.5 backers collect and, in the wider picture, it's eight out of 11 at home to go over.

This weekend's opponents conceded four at White Hart Lane when they were last in away action, but it could have been more. They haven't kept a clean sheet on their travels since a 0-0 draw at the Liberty back in October and three of their last five away games have seen the ball in the net on three occasions or more.

A point is of no real value to Hull when you consider that their survival will depend on their results at home, and they may also fancy trying to significantly improve their goal difference.

Recommended Bets

Back Hull @ 1.95
Back Over 2.5 Goals @ 2.08