Leeds United v Watford: YEP Jury give their big-match predictions

Our panel of Leeds United fans will be looking for a more disciplined performance from Junior Firpo, above, when Watford visit Elland Road tomorrow. Picture: Bruce Rollinson.

Despite their slow start to the season, our panel of fans believe Leeds United are strong favourites to see off Watford tomorrow and pick up their first win of the season.

DAVID WATKINS

There’s no such thing as a must-win game this early on in the season and yet this feels like one!

We played well last week for an hour and were unlucky not to get a point so, against a lesser team than the Hammers, we have to show that same form and do it for 90 minutes. To fail again would be to leave us wondering where exactly our first win will ever come from.

Striker Ismaila Sarr will be a key man for Watford tomorrow. Picture: Mike Egerton/PA Wire.

Whatever team we put out, whether it be the side we saw last Saturday which looked so well-balanced despite the inclusion of the inexperienced duo Jamie Shackleton and Charlie Cresswell, or whether we see any of the injured lads return, we ought to be strong enough.

Watford are without a clean sheet in 16 Premier League games but already have two wins on the board, one against bottom side Norwich and an eye-catching 3-2 home win against Aston Villa that shows they can, on their day, be dangerous.

The Hornets can certainly sting, but I think this could be a big win for the Peacocks.

Prediction: Leeds United 4 Watford 0.

Jamie Shackleton and Charlie Cresswell pictured ahead of the West Ham game.
Picture: Bruce Rollinson. — Jamie Shackleton and Charlie Cresswell pictured ahead of the West Ham game. Picture: Bruce Rollinson.

JACOB STARR

This early into the season, I didn’t expect there to be a game of this magnitude, particularly for the wrong reasons.

Before the season started, newly-promoted Watford were tipped by most to go straight back down, although they have more than doubled Leeds’ points tally from the opening six matches.

I fear that if the result was to, yet again, not go our way, then the Whites could really enter a downward spiral with the lack of points on the board and momentum of last year disappearing.

Leeds United fans get behind their side against West Ham. Picture: Bruce Rollinson.

So in that respect, it could well be a must-win, despite us still having 31 games to play after this weekend’s contest.

However, the first-half performance against West Ham has given me enough encouragement to suggest that we will earn our first victory of the season sooner rather than later.

Even with the current injury situation, I think there is still enough quality and confidence in that starting XI for Marcelo Bielsa to overcome Xisco Munoz.

Ismaila Sarr is the one to watch on the Hornets’ side though, already netting four times this campaign, one more than Raphinha.

Watford manager Xisco Munoz. Picture: John Walton/PA Wire.

Prediction: Leeds United 1 Watford 0.