Mark Lawrenson states his prediction for Watford v Tottenham
BBC Sport pundit Mark Lawrenson is backing Tottenham to draw with Watford at Vicarage Road on Saturday
Mark Lawrenson is backing Tottenham Hotspur to draw with Watford at Vicarage Road on Saturday afternoon.
Spurs are winless in their last three Premier League games under Jose Mourinho for the first time since his appointment as Mauricio Pochettino’s replacement back in November.
Tottenham lost 1-0 to Premier League leaders Liverpool FC in their last top-flight outing following Roberto Firmino’s winner in the first half for the Reds.
Spurs drew 2-2 with Norwich City in their last game of the decade before Tottenham lost 1-0 to a resurgent Southampton side at St Mary’s on New Year’s Day.
Mourinho’s men will face another resurgent side in the shape of Watford this weekend after Nigel Pearson revitalised the Hornets following his appointment back in December.
Watford have won four of their last five Premier League games, including a win against Manchester United, to hoist themselves out of the relegation zone.
BBC Sport pundit Lawrenson is backing Watford to secure a point against Spurs at Vicarage Road on Saturday afternoon.
“Watford are still going well under Nigel Pearson, while Tottenham just look a bit all over the place,” Lawrenson told BBC Sport.
“Jose Mourinho’s side were better in the second half against Liverpool last week, caused quite a few problems and might have nicked a point.
“But this is a tough game for Spurs. Watford boss Nigel Pearson is trying to ensure his side do not ease up after climbing out of the drop zone, because there are teams down there who are floundering.
“The ball is rolling for the Hornets a bit now, which obviously helps, and Pearson just wants to keep this run going, but they will no doubt have a day soon where they mess up, don’t play well, and end up beaten.
“I don’t think that will happen on Saturday, though, because Spurs are below their best.
“It is going to be interesting to see how Mourinho approaches things without Harry Kane. In that scenario last season, they used Son Heung-min and Lucas Moura, but they were very much operating on the counter-attack.
“One of the problems Spurs have got while Kane is injured is, if they cannot counter-attack, they struggle to break teams down – purely and simply because there is no-one to hold the ball up for them.”
Tottenham have only managed to win one of their last five Premier League games.
If Watford beat Tottenham, Spurs will have lost three successive top-flight games for the first time since 2012.
The Hornets have only won one of their last 13 games against Spurs, beating their London rivals at Vicarage Road last term.
