Watford v Liverpool Team News
Watford could recall Ismaila Sarr to the starting line-up when they take on league leaders Liverpool at Vicarage Road on Saturday teatime.
Senegal international Sarr had been one of the standout players for the Hornets during their Christmas revival before he was struck down with a hamstring injury in January.
Head coach Nigel Pearson has been keen to take a cautious approach to the recovery of Watford’s record signing and hadn’t wanted to rush him back for fear of making the issue worse.
Having sat out four games, Sarr finally made his return from the bench in last weekend’s 3-0 loss to Manchester United, playing the final 20 minutes at Old Trafford.
Pearson has now suggested Sarr could be handed a start this weekend against Liverpool although the clash will likely come too soon for Kiko Femenia
The Spaniard has missed Watford’s last eight games and, while he has trained with the rest of the squad this week, his history of hamstring injuries means Pearson is erring on the side of caution.
Daryl Janmaat is back in full training after a lengthy lay-off with a knee injury although it remains to be seen if he will play any part in Saturday’s game.
Pearson has also indicated Danny Welbeck could be back in the starting XI sooner rather than later, having now made three appearances from the bench for Watford.
The Hornets enter Saturday’s clash stuck in the bottom three after a run of six games without a win, but Pearson expects them to play with a bit of freedom against Liverpool as few people give them a chance of ending the Reds’ unbeaten run.
He told Sky Sports: “There’s probably less expectation on us in this game than there might be on others, but it’s our next game, so there are three points up for grabs in every game you play.”
Pearson 🤝 Klopp
Mutual respect = 💯#WATLIV pic.twitter.com/DwhYOlXXpY
— Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC) February 27, 2020
Liverpool will look to take another step towards wrapping up the Premier League title at Vicarage Road by securing a record-breaking 19th consecutive victory.
The Merseysiders were made to work hard to get the better of West Ham on Monday evening and Fabinho has admitted skipper Jordan Henderson was missed during the 3-2 win.
The Reds captain will sit out this weekend’s meeting with Watford due to a thigh injury, while James Milner is a doubt due to a muscle issue.
Xherdan Shaqiri and Nathaniel Clyne are long-term absentees for Jurgen Klopp’s side and the German could name the same starting XI that got the better of the Hammers.
