WATFORD are the visitors to The Hawthorns this weekend as the Baggies look to extend their unbeaten home record in the league so far this season.
The opposition
Watford have made a good start to the Premier League season and currently sit 6th in the table on 11 points after six games.
Their only loss in the league so far came in a 6-0 home drubbing by Manchester City a couple of weeks ago, which they bounced back from on Saturday by beating Swansea 2-1.
New manager Marco Silva, who left Hull to join the Hornets in May, made a number of signings such as Will Hughes, Nathaniel Chalobah, Richarlison and Andre Gray in the summer transfer window.
Last time out
Albion’s most recent game against Watford was a 2-0 defeat at Vicarage Road in April.
However, the last meeting between the two sides at The Hawthorns ended with the Baggies recording a 3-1 win from a feisty match that saw Roberto Pereyra get sent off for Watford.
Goals from Jonny Evans, Chris Brunt and Matty Phillips were enough to overcome a Christian Kabasele strike to help move Tony Pulis’ side up to 6th in the Premier League table at the start of December last year.
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The gaffers
Tony Pulis on Watford
"Marco Silva has a better horse to ride this year than last year.
"He's been backed - they've spent quite a bit of money.
"They look a very capable team and it'll be a tough game."
Marco Silva's Albion assessment
"We're expecting a tough game.
"Everybody knows they're difficult to beat at home.
"They have good intensity and are strong on set pieces."
Team news
Albion have the whole first-team squad in full training ahead of Saturday's clash, but Pulis admits Nacer Chadli, Oli Burke and Gareth McAuley may still be short of match fitness.
"Burke and Chadli have trained but still haven't had the game time we'd have liked," says Pulis.
"This international break might be good for us.
"Hopefully Nacer can get some time with Belgium and McAuley can get a bit of game time with Northern Ireland."
Stats
Albion
- The Baggies have lost just one of their last nine home games against Watford in all competitions.
- Chris Brunt will make his 350th Albion appearance if he plays a part in Saturday’s match.
- Jay Rodriguez has hit the woodwork the joint second most amount of times in the Premier League (two).
Watford
- Silva’s side have scored the most goals from outside the box this season (four).
- The Hornets have won three successive Premier League away games - beating Bournemouth, Southampton and Swansea - for the first time in their history.
- Watford have made the second most amount of clearances in the league so far (191).
From the archive
Here’s the highlights from our last game at The Hawthorns against Watford.
Head to head
The head-to-head record makes for good reading for Baggies fans, with 18 wins, nine draws and 12 losses from 39 games against Watford.
Ticket news
Tickets for the game remain on general sale for Albion fans, although Watford have sold out their away allocation.
Tickets are priced at £25 adults, £20 seniors (60 and over), £15 young adults (22 and under)/full-time students and just £10 juniors (U17s).
Seats can be purchased online, in person from the East Stand Ticket Office or by calling 0121 227 2227.
Follow the game
Comprehensive coverage of the clash with Watford is available in our Match Centre, where you can listen to free live commentary on WBA Radio or follow our live text feed.
WBA Radio is the only service that allows Baggies fans around the world - from Smethwick to the Sahara - access to uninterrupted live commentaries from every one of our competitive games. Join Gez Mulholland and Dave Bowler for Baggies-biased live commentary on Saturday.
You’ll also be able to find score updates on the club's social media channels.
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