The inside track on Watford and what Middlesbrough can expect from Vladimir Ivic's team at Vicarage Road

Watford appointed former Maccabi Tel Aviv manager Vladimir Ivic as their new head coach in August and will be one of the favourites to win promotion from the second tier.

Ahead of the game at Vicarage Road, we caught up with Watford reporter Ryan Gray from the Watford Observer and James Batchelor, founder of Hornets fan channel TheWatfordWay, to get the inside track on Boro’s next opponents.

1. How has Watford’s pre-season gone and how are they shaping up ahead of the game?

RG: “Not too badly – they beat Scunthorpe 1-0 and Tottenham 2-1. They’re looking pretty good under the new coach, who seems to have them pretty well-drilled.”

JB: “We started our pre-season against Scunthorpe at Vicarage Road which was of course played behind closed doors. The game ended 1-0 to the Hornets with new signing Jeremy Ngakia getting on the score sheet.

“Our second game and final pre-season game was available for all supporters to watch via the clubs online "Hive Live" streaming service in which over 10000 Watford fans tuned in!

“Watford won in what was quite a convincing performance against a strong Tottenham side at Vicarage Road. A thunderous 25-yard strike from Domingos Quina and an Andre Gray penalty earned the victory with Heung-min Son pulling one back for the visitors from the penalty spot towards the end of the game.”

2. What formation are Watford likely to play?

RG: “At this moment, it’s very much open to interpretation. I would expect three central defenders with wing backs, but the attacking shape is tough to call at this moment, given that Ivic has moved things around a bit during both pre-season games.”

JB: “Watford are likely to play a 3-5-2 formation. We have seen Vladimir Ivic use this predominantly at his previous club Maccabi Tel Aviv and during his short time with us at Watford.

“However it has been reported by a number of outlets that he likes to surprise opposition managers with a completely different line-up so I wouldn't rule out Neil Warnock having to alter his plans when the team sheet is released!”

3. Who are the players Boro will need to keep an eye on, and what’s the latest on injuries?

RG: “The latest on injuries is that there’s plenty of them. Fortunately for Boro, Ismaila Sarr and Gerard Deulofeu are both absent, but there are still plenty of talented players who are likely to play. Domingos Quina is a tricky customer in the offensive attacking positions, while Luis Suarez could be handful if he plays.”

JB: “One of the most notable being Ismailia Sarr. He has just returned from Senegal and won't be fit for Friday's fixture. Daryl Janmaat (knee), Isaac Success (achilles) and Gerard Deulofeu all remain out with long term issues. Troy Deeney won't be fit either due to returning from a knee injury which I am sure you are all going to be glad about!

“Other absentees include Andre Gray and Will Hughes who will be out for another two weeks. The club have also confirmed that Etienne Capoue, Roberto Pereyra and Danny Welbeck are also unavailable.”

4. What is the aim for Watford this season?

RG: “The club have been very open about going for promotion. They see themselves as a top flight club and want to rectify the mistakes from last season.”

JB: “Of course the aim is to get straight back to the Premier League. Speaking on behalf of Watford fans, I think what we want is some stability within the club regarding the head coach and so far it's looking like Vladimir Ivic is the man to do that! Anything less than promotion would be seen as failure.

“So far we have managed to keep hold of most key players such as Will Hughes, Étienne Capoue, Troy Deeney, Ismaila Sarr and Domingos Quina. If they stick around I don't see how Watford can't challenge for the title.

"We also have a number of top talent coming back from loans such as Pervis Estupian (a highly rated left-wing-back) and Ben Wilmot who you may know as he spent last season on loan at Swansea City.”

5. How will the club and fans view an opening day match against Boro?

RG: “I think they’ll view it as a good test, particularly against a side with an experienced head like Warnock in charge.”

JB: “From a personal point of view, I never like coming up against a Neil Warnock team, especially if it's the first game of a new season. I would love us to get off to a quick start but I can see the game being tight and it wouldn't surprise me if you snuck a tight 0-1 win or if the game ended in a 0-0 draw.”

6. Finally what’s your score prediction for the match?

RG: “I think Watford will win if they play as well as they have over pre-season. I’ll go for a 2-0.”

JB: “I'm going to be optimistic and go for a 3-1 Watford win. With the vast array of attacking talent and pace Watford now have at our disposal, I can see it being too much for a Middlesbrough defence who conceded 3 goals last time out against Shrewsbury.”

Predicted Watford line-up: Foster; Wilmot, Dawson, Kabasele; Estupinan, Chalobah, Cleverley, Quina, Ngakia; Joao Pedro, Murray

A message from the Editor:

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to the Hartlepool Mail website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit here to sign up. You can subscribe to the newspaper with 20% off here. Thank you.