Watford

• Liverpool have won 12 of their 13 home league games against Watford, with the exception being a 1-0 loss in August 1999. They’ve won the last six in a row against the Hornets at Anfield by an aggregate score of 22-1.

• Watford have taken just four points from their past 30 available against the Reds in the Premier League (W1 D1 L8), drawing 3-3 in August 2017 and winning 3-0 in February 2020 (both at Vicarage Road).

• This will be the 19th time a manager who has previously taken charge of Liverpool in the Premier League will face them at Anfield in the competition. Just one of the previous instances has ended in a victory (D3 L14) - current Watford boss Roy Hodgson with West Brom in April 2012.

• Mo Salah has been directly involved in 11 goals in just seven Premier League games against Watford, scoring nine and assisting two. The Egypt striker averages a goal or assist every 57 minutes against the Hornets, the fourth best ratio one player has against a club in Premier League history.

Watford return to action on Saturday when they travel to Anfield to face title-chasing Liverpool.

Who should make Roy Hodgson's starting XI against his former club as the Hornets look to record back-to-back wins for the first time this season?

It's time to pick your Watford side to face Liverpool

Watford forward Ismaila Sarr is being watched by Liverpool and Newcastle United. (Sun), external

Want more transfer news? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

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Matt from BHappy blog, external was not prepared to do end-of-season predictions (below - 23 March, 17:00) but is holding out hope for some entertaining games at Vicarage Road before the end of the season.

Here's a sample of your responses:

Kevin: I think we need to win all home fixtures and pray for any points away to have a chance. Leeds and Everton are in bad form, and that may be a doorway out of the drop.

Stuart: I think we will be relegated. There's not enough time left to save ourselves and we've wasted nice-looking fixture runs before - and another heavy defeat at the Etihad would sap any motivation the team have left.

Have your say on how Watford's season will end here

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Matt Rowson, BHappy blog, external

Predicted points: Some

Predicted position: West of the M1, just inside the M25

No, I’m not doing predictions.

In our current predicament to forecast success would damn us to failure but to predict failure would mean accepting that outcome as inevitable, which I’m not ready to do.

Our remaining fixtures are oddly balanced; away form under Roy Hodgson has yielded a respectable eight points from six games but the four trips remaining include Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea.

In contrast the last eight home games have ended in defeat; with any form at all, five home fixtures including Burnley, Everton, Leeds and Brentford would at least be entertaining.

My biggest hope is that Cucho Hernandez’s indefatigable “death or glory” gusto infects the rest of the team and town and that those home fixtures in particular are as ferocious and febrile as they ought to be.

Watford fans, do you agree with Matt? Have your say here

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Former West Ham midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker has backed Watford to stay in the Premier League after the Hornets' vital win over Southampton on Sunday.

Roy Hodgson's side bounced back from a thumping defeat against Wolves to move level on points with 17th-placed Everton.

"I think Watford will sneak out of it, I really do," Reo-Coker told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"That win will be such a big confidence boost for them. They look structured, they look organised and they seem to know what they are doing in terms of gameplan."

Ex-Manchester City forward Paul Dickov said the credit for the win should go to manager Hodgson who has overseen two victories and two draws from his nine games in charge.

"His sides have always been difficult to beat," Dickov said. "This is where his experience of being in relegation battles and grinding out results will be felt."

Listen to the full discussion on Watford's survival chances from 13'40 on BBC Sounds

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Geoff Doyle, BBC Three Counties Radio

Watford's victory at Southampton lifted the air of doom and gloom and has offered renewed hope that they might get out of relegation danger. Before the match the talk was that in most other seasons Watford would be pretty much down and out.

Ten games to go with just 19 points on the board they would probably be cut adrift. They would normally need about another 20 points from a possible 30 and considering they have Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea to go to that would be unrealistic.

However, this season is different. Fortunately for Watford, there are four other teams with very few points so they still have a small chance. And following the win at St Mary's and Everton's defeat the table looks even better now.

They are level on points with the team outside the relegation zone - Everton - and four points from the team above them - Leeds. What’s more, both those clubs have to come to Vicarage Road as do Burnley - the team below Watford, plus Brentford.

The shame is that Roy Hodgson's side have to wait three weeks for their next game while rivals play in between. And that next Hornets match is at Anfield against Liverpool.

Nevertheless there is still that tiny glimmer of hope as a result of four other teams who have been just as or almost as poor.

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• Watford gained their first victory against Southampton in the Premier League since September 2017 (2-0), ending a run of six such games against the Saints without a win (D3 L3).

• Southampton have lost consecutive Premier League home games for the first time since February 2021 (a run of three).

• The eight points Watford have gained in their nine Premier League games under Roy Hodgson have all come away from home (W2 D2 L2 away from home); only Chelsea (9) have amassed more points on the road since the Hornets’ first such game under Hodgson.

• The Hornets' last 82 Premier League goals have all been scored from inside the box, since Gerard Deulofeu’s 19-yard strike against Cardiff in February 2019.

Image source, Getty Images

Harry Poole, BBC Sport

Watford had won just once in eight since Roy Hodgson's appointment as manager in late January, but this spirited performance was the perfect response to their capitulation against Wolves on Thursday

A double from Cucho Hernandez against an out-of-sorts Southampton means the Hornets now remain in the bottom three on goal difference alone, after Everton lost to Wolves.

The 22-year-old Colombian produced two rather different - though equally impressive - finishes as the visitors held on for a huge three points.

Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl introduced striker Armando Broja at the break but it had little effect on his below-par side, who must regroup quickly as they aim to cause an upset in their FA Cup quarter-final against Premier League leaders Manchester City next Sunday.

The 74-year-old Hodgson could certainly have done without the late video assistant referee check for a handball against defender Christian Kabasele in a tense finale, but his side dug in to give their survival hopes a significant boost.

Watford manager Roy Hodgson speaking to BBC Sport: "I thought we played well today from the first minute. We weren't doing that badly on Thursday [against Wolves]. We're not top of the table, we're near the bottom and when you're 3-0 down players have to show enormous character to get back from that.

"I'm really pleased with the performance today. The front players gave us another level of energy from what we've been seeing. I thought we created quite a few opportunities to score.

"Our crowd were incredible today - it was like a home game. You can't ask more if you're a Watford player."

We are bringing you live text commentary of Southampton v Wolves, plus the rest of Sunday's Premier League action.

Follow all the action here

You'll be able to catch up with all the post-match reaction on this page after full-time at St Mary's

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Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has made two changes following the Saints' 2-1 defeat by Newcastle United.

Tino Livramento, who is not in the squad, is replaced by Romain Perraud in defence, while Will Smallbone comes in for the benched Armando Broja.

Southampton XI: Forster, Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Salisu, Perraud, Armstrong, Ward-Prowse, Smallbone, Romeu, Elyounoussi, Adams.

Image source, BBC Sport

There are three changes for Watford after their 4-0 loss at Wolves.

Roy Hodgson hands starts to Christian Kabasele, Joao Pedro and Juraj Kucka.

Craig Cathcart, Tom Cleverley and Josh King drop to the bench.

Watford XI: Foster, Femenia, Kabasele, Samir, Kamara, Sissoko, Louza, Kucka, Pedro, Dennis, Hernandez.

Mark Lawrenson takes on rapper and Chelsea fan ArrDee in the latest round of Premier League predictions.

Lawro's prediction: 2-0

Watford boss Roy Hodgson has come in so late in the season that he is still searching for his best XI and is also unsure about which formation to use, which is far from ideal when you are stuck in the bottom three with time running out to get out of trouble.

The Hornets have won only one of Hodgson's seven games in charge and it's hard to see where the improvement they need will come from now.

Southampton have been very strong at St Mary's this season, so this is another difficult game for Watford. Mind you, most games look hard when you are a run like they are on.

ArrDee's prediction: I can't see a lot of goals in this game. 1-0

Find out how Lawro and ArrDee think the rest of the weekend's fixtures will go

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Southampton winger Nathan Tella could make his comeback from the groin injury which has caused him to miss the past nine games.

Goalkeeper Alex McCarthy and defender Lyanco remain long-term absentees.

Watford defender William Troost-Ekong is likely to be available after a groin strain, while full-back Jeremy Ngakia might return from a hamstring issue.

Forward Joao Pedro missed the defeat at Wolverhampton with Covid-19, while Ismaila Sarr is still out.

Choose your Saints side to face Watford

Select your Hornest starting line-up

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Roy Hodgson has called for his players to “move on” from a humbling defeat at Wolves on Thursday evening.

The Hornets conceded three goals in a brutal first-half spell and are three points from safety, having played more games than Burnley and Everton, the two sides immediately above them.

Sunday’s game at Southampton offers an instant chance to reignite their quest to stay in the Premier League, and Hodgson rejected any suggestion his players are not trying.

“It’s a heavy defeat, but we have to keep ourselves going,” he said. “The result and performance don’t have to affect us for the next game if we don’t want them to.

“It gets hard when you feel your players don’t care enough, and I don’t think we’re in that situation.

“We could be accused in a lot of areas of not being good enough at the moment, but they really are doing the work.

“They are covering the ground, they are making the tackles, they are getting back in after we’ve lost the ball.

“If we’re going to survive, that’s what we need.”

• Southampton are unbeaten in their past six Premier League games against Watford, winning each of the past three (D3). Indeed, Saints have lost just two of their 13 meetings with the Hornets overall in the competition (W6 D5).

• Watford have lost each of their past seven Premier League games on a Sunday, including all four such games this season. In Premier League history, only three sides have ever lost eight consecutive Sunday games – Birmingham City (2005-2007), Bournemouth (2015-2016) and Fulham (2018-2020).

• Saints midfielder James Ward-Prowse has scored four goals in his past five Premier League starts against Watford. Against no side has he scored more goals in the competition than his four against the Hornets.

• Hornets boss Roy Hodgson has won just three of his 11 Premier League meetings with Southampton (D2 L6). Of all sides he’s faced at least 10 times in the competition, he’s only won fewer against Tottenham (W1 D6 L12).