Watford vs Leeds United: FA Cup Preview & Prediction

Watford host Leeds in the FA Cup fifth round at Vicarage Road on Saturday afternoon, and both teams may see it as a good opportunity to advance closer to winning some silverware.

The Hornets are ninth in the Premier League table after accumulating 36 points to date, and with that ‘magic 40-point’ total in their sights with a dozen matches of the campaign left to play, they may move their focus to trying to win a trophy.

The likes of Liverpool, Leicester and Southampton are already out, while one of Chelsea and Manchester City, and Tottenham and Crystal Palace, will join them this weekend.

Quique Sanchez Flores’ side picked up a valuable 2-1 win at Crystal Palace last weekend, and will come into this tie full of confidence with two strikers, Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney, who have scored 22 of their 29 league goals this term – the latter netted both in that victory at Selhurst Park.

Meanwhile, Leeds are 16th in the Championship table, 14 points from the play-offs and 11 points above the relegation zone.

It would take a brilliant or disastrous run of results for their season to turn around, and backed by a large away following in Hertfordshire, Steve Evans will know the importance of this match for the club’s loyal fans.

The Whites drew 0-0 at home to Championship automatic promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough on Monday night, and it is just under a year since they were beaten 3-2 at Elland Road in a league match by their top-flight opponents this weekend.

The Yorkshire club haven’t reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup since 2003, and that is something they will look to put right when they make the long trip south.

Team News:

Costel Pantilimon should make his second start in goal for the hosts after an impressive debut in the fourth round win at Nottingham Forest last month, while Miguel Britos and Jose Jurado could be involved following leg and calf injuries respectively.

For the visitors, striker Chris Wood is a doubt through illness, but Gaetano Berardi could be involved after an ankle problem that has kept him on the sidelines since December.

League Position: Watford – 9th (Premier League – 36 pts); Leeds – 16th (Championship – 37 pts)
Previous Meeting: Leeds 2-3 Watford (February 28, 2015)
Form: Watford – LWWDLW ; Leeds – LWDWLD
Key Men: Watford – Troy Deeney; Leeds – Souleymane Doukara
Shoot Says: Watford 1-0 Leeds