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Watford v Spurs, FA Cup Round 4

Written by Chris Sturdy

spurs The fourth round of the FA Cup gets underway on Friday night and the televised match sees Spurs travel to Watford.

After dropping points in a 1-1 draw at home to Wolves and then losing by the odd goal in five to a last gasp penalty at Manchester City, Spurs' title hopes have been severely dented in recent weeks. Spurs finished up last weekend eight points behind City and five behind United and although there is a long way to go, it is likely that the FA Cup offers the best opportunity for silverware this season. On that front, this trip to Watford is the next hurdle, let's take a look at a few stats and the betting.

Watford are eighteenth in the Championship, six points clear of the relegation zone. Of 27 league games, seven have been won, nine drawn and eleven lost. The home form is the most relevant and Watford have been hard to catch right, five wins, four draws and five defeats. They score the bulk of their league goals here, 19 of 28 arriving in front of their own supporters but they have just two clean sheets against their name at Vicarage Road. Recent league form does not make good reading, three consecutive Championship defeats since the turn of the year at Portsmouth (2-0), home to Reading (2-1) and most recently away at Birmingham (3-0). The home wins have generally arrived against sides in the lower half of the table, Millwall, Peterborough, Brighton, Portsmouth and Doncaster. On the plus side, Watford had gone seven home games unbeaten prior to Reading's recent visit and they have scored at least once in each of the last eight. Watford were beaten 1-0 by Brighton at the corresponding stage of last seasons FA Cup competition.

Spurs made wholesale changes for their third round tie with Cheltenham but the temptation now may well be to put out a much stronger starting eleven. If you fancy a Watford goal you will be encouraged by the statistic which shows Spurs have kept just two clean sheets in eleven Premier League away games this season. Spurs crashed out of this competition 4-0 at Fulham in the fourth round last season having being beaten semi finalists in 2009/10 . They have won this competition eight times but the last time they hoisted the FA Cup came back in 1991.

In the third round of this competition, Watford won a home tie with League 2 side Bradford City 4-2 whilst Spurs fielded a much changed side for their home tie with another League 2 side, Cheltenham, which they won 3-0.

The Betting - Match Result (90 minutes)

Watford 7/1 World Sports Betting

Draw 7/2 World Sports Betting

Spurs 9/20 BetXchange

Selected Others (90 minutes)

Under 2.5 goals 21/20 Sportingbet

Over 2.5 goals 8/10 BetXchange, Voltbet, World Sports Betting

Both teams to score (yes) even money BetXchange

HT/FT Spurs/Spurs even money BetXchange, Hollywood

Odds are correct at the time of publication but are subject to change. Some bookmakers may not have priced up on all markets at the time of publication. Remember you can bet in play where available.

The Verdict

I'd like to see the Spurs team news but assuming they start with something close to resembling a first choice line up they ought to come through here. When you consider we have already lost Manchester City in the FA Cup this season and one of Liverpool or Manchester United will follow, this trophy might just be higher on Spurs radar than it has been in recent seasons. Expect a spirited effort from Watford and if they can find the net themselves, the chances of “overs” would be increased.

Bet: Over 2.5 goals 8/10 BetXchange, Voltbet, World Sports Betting

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