MATCH PREVIEW: BURNLEY V WATFORD

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Clarets take on the Hornets in final game before Christmas

2024-12-20T19:00:00.000Z

MATCH PREVIEW: BURNLEY V WATFORD

Clarets take on the Hornets in final game before Christmas

2024-12-20T19:00:00.000Z

Clarets take on the Hornets in final game before Christmas

Burnley are back at Turf Moor on Saturday afternoon (3pm) as Scott Parker's side host Watford in the Sky Bet Championship in the final home game of the calendar year.

The Clarets go into the weekend in fine form with an eight-match unbeaten run in the league and Burnley still remain undefeated at Turf Moor in the 2024/25 campaign.

Parker's men currently sit 3rd in the league table prior to this weekend's fixtures and are just one point away from the automatic promotion places.

Saturday's visitors Watford are in 7th place, just outside the play-off places on goal difference and the Hornets are on a six-match unbeaten run of their own in the Championship.

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How to watch

A limited amount of tickets are still available for the fixture against Watford and can be purchased online or in person at the ticket office.

The game isn’t available to watch live in the UK and to find out the EFL rightsholders countries showing the game live click here.

Live audio commentary will be available as usual via Clarets+ from 2:45pm on the day.

Full match highlights, goals and interviews will be available to view after the match on Clarets+ and across all social media channels.

Click here to view all our Clarets+ packages.

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The opposition

There's been plenty of ups and downs over the last 10 years at Vicarage Road, with the Hornets relegated twice from the Premier League, promoted twice from the Championship and an FA Cup Final at Wembley in between.

Watford have played the majority of their football in the top-two tiers over the last 40 years, with eight of those in the Premier League, with the most recent spell in the top-flight coming in the 2021/22 campaign.

After initially reaching the Premier League for the first time in 1999, the Hornets only spent a season there, before returning to the second tier.

The London side were back in the top-flight once again in 2006, but were again relegated the following season. However, after an eight-year absence with two failed play-off attempts, Watford were back in the Premier League in 2015.

A five-year spell in the top-flight came to an end in 2020, as the Hornets finished 19th and were back in the Championship, but only for a season, after winning promotion back up to the top-flight in 2021 at the first time of asking.

However, history repeated itself and a disappointing campaign followed, which saw the Hertfordshire side return to the second tier once again and the team are yet to come close to a return to the Premier League, with 11th and 15th place finishes in the last two years.

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In the dugout

Following an impressive playing career with the likes of Manchester United, Everton and Watford, Tom Cleverley was appointed interim coach of the Hornets towards the back end of last season.

The former England midfielder played over 140 games at Vicarage Road, before retiring in the summer of 2023 and going into a coaching role within the academy at Watford.

Cleverley won his first game in temporary charge, before being given the Head Coach role of the Hornets on a permanent basis in April, after losing just one of his seven matches in the interim period.

Watford have started the 2024/25 season brightly, with Cleverley's side currently sat outside the play-off places on goal difference.

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Last time we met

14/02/2023 - Burnley 1 - 1 Watford (Turf Moor)

Burnley: Muric (Peacock-Farrell HT), Roberts (Obafemi 86), Beyer (Al-Dakhil 40), Ekdal, Maatsen, Brownhill, Cullen, Gudmundsson (Twine 70), Tella, Zaroury, Barnes (Foster 70)

Unused Subs: Vitinho, Cork,

Watford: Bachmann, Gaspar, Choudhury, Porteous, Sema (Araujo 68), Sarr, Davis (Martins 68), Kone (Louza 74), Pedro, Hoedt

Unused Subs: Hamer, Morris, Kabasele, Assombalonga

Goals: Pedro 32’, Obafemi 90+5

Attendance: 18,393 (505)