Preview: Watford vs Saints

THE MATCH
Watford vs Saints
Pre-season friendly
Grosvenor Vale
Saturday 23rd July, 3pm BST

SETTING THE SCENE

Having just returned from their camp in Austria, Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side will be looking to claim their first pre-season victory when they take on Watford on Saturday.

Saints suffered a 3-1 defeat in their pre-season opener to RB Leipzig in an intense 105-minute contest at Lavanttal-Arena.

Finishing fourth in the Bundesliga last season, Leipzig took the lead early on before Adam Armstrong’s second-half equaliser provided a glimmer of hope for Saints, but goals from Emil Forsberg and Ilaix Moriba put Leipzig out of reach. 

Just a couple of days later, Saints were held to a draw when they faced SK Austria Klagenfurt at Wörthersee Stadion, despite hitting the woodwork twice during the tie.

Watford have had a mixed start to pre-season, starting with a 3-1 defeat to Cambridge before a goalless draw to Panathinakos.

A 2-0 defeat to Bolton followed, before Rob Edwards' side ran rampant against Wycombe Wanderers, securing a 4-1 win and claiming their first victory of pre-season.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

While Watford find themselves in the Championship for the 2022/23 season, it was one a piece when the sides faced each other in 2021/22.

A stunning strike from Ché Adams was the difference at Vicarage Road back in October, with the striker netting after just 20 minutes.

A different story was told when the Hornets visited St Mary’s in March, with a Cucho Hernández brace giving the visitors a two goal advantage after 34 minutes.

Despite a goal from Moi Elyounoussi just before half-time, Saints were unable to draw level as Watford claimed all three points.

LIVE STREAM

We are unable to provide a live stream of the match, which will instead be broadcast via Watford’s own channels with a £5 fee to watch.