Watford

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Roy Hodgson has admitted he hasn't had the impact he hoped and expected to have at Watford.

Since his arrival as boss, the Hornets have lost seven of their 11 games and sit six points from safety.

Reflecting on his time at the club so far, Hodgson said: "I've enjoyed it, there's no doubt about that.

"I'm disappointed because when Gino (Pozzo) and Scott (Duxbury) asked me to come with Ray [Lewington] I honestly thought we could make a difference and maybe we could help the club out and get the results which had been missing up to that point.

"But unfortunately we've failed in that respect because we haven't been able to do that. The results are still not what we want them to be. We're still not taking enough points and we're still in the bottom three.

"I certainly haven't enjoyed that aspect of it.

"We've been given all the support that we need to try to help the team win games.

"The set-up is quite outstanding: the training ground, everything around the training ground, the medical facilities.

"An awful lot around Watford Football Club I think is very, very good and Ray and I have benefited from all of the support that we think we would need to try  to get this team to get results and pull away from the relegation zone.

"But we've not succeeded in doing so."

Roy Hodgson has been speaking to the media before Watford host Brentford on Saturday.

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• He confirmed Cucho Hernandez is likely to miss the rest of the season and said "I'm afraid his muscle injury, a hamstring injury, is a serious one. So, I'm afraid we won't be seeing him for a considerable period of time".

• In other injury news, Samuel Kalu has an ankle injury, Willy Ekong has a hamstring strain, while Francisco Sierralta has a calf injury. The trio will all miss Saturday's game.

• On Brentford, Hodgson said: "We know they are going to be hard to be beat, but the opportunity exists for us".

• He added: "We are fully aware that unless we start getting three points from some of these games, we are going to slip even further behind".

• On the importance of Saturday's game, he said: "Last week was a must-win too. But we didn't succeed it".

Follow Friday's Premier League manager news conferences

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• Watford have lost their past two league games against Brentford, as many as they had in their previous 16 (W9 D5). They last lost more consecutive matches against the Bees between 1929 and 1931 (5).

• Brentford are looking to complete their first league double over Watford since 1976-77 in the fourth tier. However, they’re winless in their past seven league visits to Vicarage Road (D2 L5).

• The Hornets have suffered 12 home Premier League defeats this season, with every other top-flight team to lose 12 or more such games in a single season going on to be relegated (20 previous occasions). Only 32% of their points this season have come at home (7/22), the lowest percentage by a team in an English top-flight season in history.

• Ivan Toney has been involved in 10 goals in his past eight Premier League appearances (eight goals, two assists), with only Spurs duo Harry Kane (15) and Son Heung-Min (13) involved in more goals in 2022 so far.

Watford host Brentford on Saturday in the Premier League, but who will make it into Roy Hodgson's starting XI?

Despite their 3-0 defeat by Leeds last weekend, Hodgson doesn't believe the task of survival has "altered enormously".

Six points adrift of safety with just seven games left - four of them at home - can home advantage help the Hornets secure another season in the Premier League?

How should Hodgson set up his Hornets side against the in-form Bees?

It's time to choose your Hornets side to face Brentford

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Mike Parkin, From the Rookery End podcast

This wasn’t the sort of record-breaking season we wanted.

In losing to Leeds on Saturday, Watford equalled their record of nine straight home defeats, previously set in 1971-72.

The Hornets won at the 10th time of asking during that campaign, but there can be precious few Watford fans who don’t expect that record to be broken next week against Brentford.

Watford’s home form, particularly the performances against teams in and around the relegation battle, has been abject and these capitulations are the reason the Hornets will be playing Championship football again next season.

With a few exceptions, the campaign has provided little cause for optimism, and even the most hopeful of Hornets will have had their dreams of a miracle escape well and truly shattered on Saturday afternoon.

The focus now has turned to assessing what sort of squad we’ll have next season and, of course, who will lead them. It’s pretty grim at Vicarage Road, but at least things are never dull.

Do you think Watford can still survive or have you given up hope? Let us know

You can now watch all the highlights and analysis from Saturday's five matches in the Premier League.

Stream on BBC iPlayer

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• Watford are the first side to lose nine consecutive home matches in the Premier League since Wolves between January and April in 2012, while the only previous time they had lost nine home league games in a row was between December 1971 and March 1972.

• Since returning to the Premier League last season, Leeds have picked up 25 points in their eight Premier League matches against promoted clubs (W8 D1), with their 2.8 points per game average the highest of any side in such matches in that time.

• The Hornets have lost 12 home league matches in a single season for the first time in their history.

• Leeds are the only Premier League team not to lose a single game against a promoted side since the start of last season.

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Matthew Howarth, BBC Sport

As was the case in their reverse at Anfield in their previous game, poor finishing cost Watford dearly in Saturday’s damaging defeat by Leeds.

Having gone close on a couple of occasions prior to Raphinha’s first-half opener, Ismaila Sarr should have equalised when he was played in on goal by Joao Pedro but instead blazed a wild effort into the stands behind Illan Meslier.

It was an effort that summed up the Hornets’ plight – they have now lost nine consecutive league matches at Vicarage Road and scored just six goals on home soil since beating Manchester United 4-1 on 20 November.

If they can’t better their tally of seven points from a possible 45 at home this season, they have no hope of avoiding the drop.

Leeds were not at their best on Saturday but, in the words of their head coach Jesse Marsch, “endured a tough moment” against the Hornets to lift themselves further clear of the relegation zone.

Resilience and defensive organisation are traits we are not used to seeing from the Whites – this was their first clean sheet in 18 Premier League matches – but they are qualities that stand them in good stead for the rest of the campaign.

Watford boss Roy Hodgson: "We had a chance to get back into the game, but then unfortunately we conceded the second goal and it was always going to be very difficult after that, because obviously we became more open.

"I find the scoreline harsh – I don’t think we deserved to lose this game 3-0 on the team’s performance today but we have lost it 3-0, so that’s what I have to come to terms with.

"I don’t think the challenge has altered enormously – that’s a few more points that we could have had that we haven’t taken. There are seven games left, four of them at home, and the players have got to find a way of putting this game behind them."

We are bringing you live text and radio commentary of Watford v Leeds United, plus the rest of Saturday's Premier League action.

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

Roy Hodgson keeps faith with the Watford side that lost 2-0 at Liverpool last weekend. Joao Pedro keeps his place up front, with Emmanuel Dennis on the bench.

Watford XI: Foster, Femenia, Kabasele, Samir, Kamara, Louza, Sarr, Sissoko, Kucka, Hernandez, Joao Pedro

Subs: Bachmann, King, Cleverley, Masina, Cathcart, Dennis, Kalu, Sierralta, Kayemba

Leeds make one change to the team that drew 1-1 at home to Southampton last time out. Robin Koch comes into midfield in place of Adam Forshaw, who misses out altogether.

Leeds XI: Meslier, Ayling, Llorente, Cooper, Dallas, Klich, Koch, Raphinha, Rodrigo, Harrison, James

Subs: Klaesson, Struijk, Phillips, Gelhardt, Hjelde, Cresswell, Summerville, Greenwood, Kenneh

Mark Lawrenson takes on Manchester City fans Tom Ogden and Joe Donovan from indie band Blossoms in the latest round of Premier League predictions.

Lawro's prediction: 1-2

Watford were actually very competitive against Liverpool last weekend, they just didn't take their chances at Anfield.

It's not away from home where Watford are really struggling though - they have lost their past eight league games at Vicarage Road since beating Manchester United 4-1 in November, and have the worst home record in the top flight.

If they are going to stay up then that needs to change, and quickly, because five of their remaining eight games are at their place, starting with this one.

I actually think Leeds will beat them, though, because they seem to have got their mojo back.

Jesse Marsch has done extremely well since taking charge and picked up seven points from their past three games. Another win here would make them pretty much safe.

Kalvin Phillips should be able to play more of a part - and maybe even start - after coming off the bench in last week's draw with Southampton. His return to fitness is definitely going to help.

Tom's prediction: 1-0

Joe's prediction: 1-0

Find out how Lawro, Tom and Joe think the rest of the weekend's fixtures will go

Watford manager Roy Hodgson says he's able to pick from a fully fit squad for the visit of Leeds.

The Hornets are boosted by the return of Kwadwo Baah from a long-term ankle injury.

Leeds will still be without Patrick Bamford, Junior Firpo, Jamie Shackleton and Tyler Roberts.

Joe Gelhardt has not trained every day this week but manager Jesse Marsch hoped if he was able to train on Friday then he would be available.

Choose your Hornets XI

Pick and share your Leeds side

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Plus Jonathan Woodgate joins the podcast to chat about his love for the fantasy game and play a game of Sutton Death.

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Roy Hodgson says his team need to win games, "starting on Saturday", if they are to survive.

The Watford boss said: "We need points. We are at the wrong end of the table. If we're going to survive, we've got to win games.

"Saturday is another opportunity for us and we are playing at home.

"We are playing against a Leeds side who are good, and have had some very good results under the new manager Jesse Marsch."

The Hornets are second from bottom and three points adrift of Everton with eight games to go following the Toffees' defeat against fellow strugglers Burnley on Wednesday. Hodgson said: "That means we stay in touch with Everton.

"We lost a bit of ground to Burnley, who gained points on us. So it pushes us back a place in the table but with eight games to go.

"The gap between Burnley, Everton, Watford and Norwich is not enormous."

Despite suffering four successive defeats, Hodgson has praised his team for their continuing improvement.

"Reactions are when your team has done badly, or you feel your team has not worked hard enough," he explained.

"I don't think I want to use the word reaction after what I've seen from the team at Southampton and Liverpool."

Roy Hodgson has been speaking to the media before Watford host Leeds on Saturday.

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Hodgson says he has a "fully fit squad" for Saturday, adding: "It's quite incredible the work the doctors and the physios have done here this late in the season."

• On the relegation battle, he said: "The gap between Burnley, Everton, Watford and Norwich is not enormous. If we're going to survive, we've got to win games."

• He described opponents Leeds as a "good" side, who "have had some very good results under the new manager Jesse Marsch".

• Despite being captured this week on social media getting an assist for Pedro in training, he says he "rarely kicks the ball these days" and he added: "I'm not as good a kicker of the ball as I thought I once was, after an ankle injury. But this must have been an aberration."

• He says he needs to see a "similar performance" to the Southampton and Liverpool games this weekend.

Follow Thursday's Premier League manager news conferences

• Watford have won their past two home league games against Leeds, most recently a 4-1 victory in August 2014. The Hornets had only won one of their first eight against the Whites at Vicarage Road (D3 L4).

• Leeds are looking to complete their first league double over Watford since the 1999-00 season, which was also the last campaign the sides met in the Premier League.

• Watford have lost their past eight home Premier League matches, with Wolves the last side to have a longer home losing streak, losing nine in a row between January and April 2012. The Hornets have only lost nine consecutive home league games once before, between December 1971 and March 1972.

• Since returning to the Premier League last season, Leeds United have picked up 22 points in their eight Premier League matches against promoted clubs (W7 D1), with their 2.75 points per game average the highest of any side in such matches in that time. They are also the only Premier League team not to lose a single game against a promoted side since the start of last season.

Watford welcome Leeds United to Vicarage Road in the Premier League on Saturday.

The Hornets lost 2-0 to Liverpool last weekend, but manager Roy Hodgson says his side still have "more to give" in their battle for survival.

Emmanuel Dennis was on the bench at Anfield, but should he start on Saturday?

It's time to choose your Hornets side to face Leeds

It's a busy week of commentaries across BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra coming up, with the first legs of the Champions League and Europa League quarter-finals, plus huge games at the top and bottom of the Premier League.

Tuesday, 5 April

• Manchester City v Atletico Madrid (20:00)

Wednesday, 6 April

• Chelsea v Real Madrid (20:00)

• Burnley v Everton (19:30, Sports Extra)

Thursday, 7 April

• West Ham Lyon (20:00)

Friday, 8 April

• Newcastle v Wolves (20:00)

Saturday, 9 April

• Watford v Leeds (15:00)

Sunday, 10 April

• Newcastle v Burnley (14:00)

• Manchester City v Liverpool (16:30)

All times BST

Newcastle are targeting Watford winger Ismaila Sarr in the summer. (Sun), external

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