Our prediction for this Premier League match:
Vicarage Road will host Saturday’s football game between Watford and Aston Villa. The newcomers were struggling at the back in pre-season, and, no doubt, they face a difficult task in the season opener. Even though head coach Xisco Munoz should have a full squad to choose from, we are not tempted to put our money on the Hornets. One of the men to watch in the home team will be new signings Joshua King.
The Villans, on the other hand, continue life without Jack Grealish, who joined Man City in the summer transfer window. In his absence, a man to keep an eye on in the away team will be summer signing Danny Ings, who is likely to prove a handful for the opposition defenders. Even though all Davis, Sanson, and Trezeguet struggle with injuries at the start of the season, away win should be considered as Aston Villa are more of a team than Watford.
Highlighted Player (Andre Gray):
Wolverhampton-born striker Andre Gray is a product of the Shrewsberry Town youth academy who hit the limelight during his two loan spell with Luton Town. A no-nonsense forward endured a difficult childhood which left him with a four-inch scar on his left cheek after he got stabbed in the face in a gang-related incident back in 2011.
Fortunately, Andre Grey was pulled out of the gang lifestyle by his mother and close friends and focused on his football career. Having scored 57 goals in 111 appearances with The Hatters, Gray was prized away by Brentford in a club-record deal at the time. Just a season later Gray moved to Burnley where he hit 23 goals in 41 Championship appearances to emerge as a vital cog in his club’s Premier League push in 2014/15. After nine goals in 32 top-flight appearances with he Clarets, Gray was transferred to Watford for yet another club-record fee.
The Englishman’s prolific goalscoring record in the Football League was brought to a halt, however, with Gray scoring just five goals in 31 Premier League appearances during the 2017/18 season.
Highlighted Team (Aston Villa):
Aston Villa is one of the three clubs that dropped to the Championship at the end of the 2015/2016 Premier League campaign. The Villans host their rivals at Villa Park, the stadium that was opened in 1897 and its’ capacity is 42,682. However, it has to be noted that the highest attendance recorded at the stadium was 76,588 when Aston Villa faced Derby County in the FA Cup back in 1946.
Aston Villa’s fiercest rivals are Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion. Nonetheless, the rivalry between Aston Villa and Wolves and Coventry City is big as well. Aston Villa have won seven First Division (Premier League) trophies, with the team clinching seven FA Cup trophies as well.
The team’s biggest success, though, came in 1982 when they won the European Cup. The Villans defeated Bayern Munich (1-0) in the title game and Peter Withe was named the man of the match.