Watford v West Ham United
Premier League, Vicarage Road, Tuesday 28 December 2021, 3pm
West Ham United continue their festive Premier League fixture list with the relatively short journey around the M25 to face Watford.
The Hammers travel to Hertfordshire for their second top-flight match in the space of a little over 48 hours, while the Hornets have not played since losing 2-1 at Brentford on 10 December after their pre-Christmas games with Burnley and Crystal Palace and Boxing Day trip Wolverhampton Wanderers were all postponed due to COVID issues.
West Ham need to bounce back, too, after losing 3-2 at home to Southampton on Boxing Day in a bizarre game that saw the Irons come from behind twice before ultimately being defeated.
We will need to do so without England international Declan Rice, too, as the 22-year-old was booked for a fifth time this season and now serves a one-match suspension.
Ticket news
The first 90% of our allocation of 2,316 tickets sold out to Bondholders and Season Ticket Holders with 33+ Points. The remaining 10% (231 tickets) was sold by a ballot process to Season Ticket Holders who had yet to purchase for this fixture. The ballot closed at 12noon on Wednesday 1 December.
For details of how to book official coach travel to Watford, click here.
Tickets are on General Sale for our home Emirates FA Cup third round and Premier League fixtures with Leeds United on Sundays 9 and 16 January respectively now. Click here to be there in-person for the visit of Marcelo Bielsa's Peacocks to London Stadium.
How to follow
Kick-off on Tuesday is at 3pm with the game being broadcast live on television in the UK by Amazon Prime Video. If you are based overseas, you might be able to watch the game in your territory. Click here for overseas broadcast listings.
We will also be covering the game live with a blog and audio commentary on whufc.com and our Official App and across our social media channels, with goals, highlights and exclusive reaction to follow after the final whistle.
Team news
West Ham United manager David Moyes will definitely be without Kurt Zouma (hamstring tendon) and Angelo Ogbonna (knee), while Aaron Cresswell has also been sidelined in recent weeks with the back injury he suffered colliding with the goal post at Manchester City on 28 November.
As mentioned in the introduction, Declan Rice is suspended after receiving his fifth booking of the season in the Boxing Day defeat by Southampton at London Stadium.
Watford head coach Claudio Ranieri has a near fully-fit squad to pick from injury-wise, with only central midfielder Peter Etebo (knee) definitely ruled out.
However, the Hornets have had sufficient issues with COVID to have a request granted for their Boxing Day trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers to be postponed. Stories suggest players who isolated over Christmas could be available for Tuesday's game.
Taking the knee
As confirmed in a joint statement by English football's governing bodies, Premier League clubs will continue to take the knee before kick-off to protest against racism and discrimination.
The 20 Premier League clubs and players have resolved to work together against racism and all forms of discrimination. There is no place in football or society for any form of prejudice and while there have been strides made across our game, recent events have reminded us there is still much work to be done.
Taking the knee is an individual choice that many players wish to make as a way of peacefully demonstrating against racism and injustice. This gesture of unity is not new, and we do not view it as an alignment to any political organisation or ideology, but rather raising the awareness of this important issue. We ask that fans respect any player that wishes to take the knee and support them in their stance against discrimination.
While not all players will choose to express their opposition to discrimination through taking the knee, players, clubs and authorities are committed to work as a collective to address all prejudiced behaviour through the coming season and beyond.
The opposition – Watford
Another season, another new head coach at Vicarage Road.
After guiding the Hornets to promotion from the EFL Championship last season, Spaniard Xisco lasted less than eight weeks into his first season as a Premier League manager when he was replaced in early October. At that stage, Watford were 15th in the table.
Xisco was replaced by former Chelsea and Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri, the veteran Italian returning to English football after spells in his homeland with Roma and Sampdoria.
However, the 70-year-old's magic touch has so far eluded him at Watford, with the Hornets winning two and losing seven of his nine Premier League games in charge.
On the pitch, there have been some positives for the Hertfordshire side, most notably Nigerian forward Emmanuel Dennis, who has scored seven goals and assisted five in his 15 Premier League appearances.
Joshua King also slammed in a hat-trick in a 5-2 win at Everton in October, while Ismaila Sarr has matched the Norwegian's haul of five top-flight goals.
Amazingly, no other Watford player has found the net in the Premier League this season, and Ranieri will hope to find other sources of goals and points if his team is to avoid a relegation battle, and he is to remain in charge at a club which has 16 permanent managers since 2010.
Previous meetings
West Ham United have enjoyed visits to Watford in recent seasons.
The Hammers have won on our two most recent trips to Vicarage Road, scoring seven goals in the process.
Mark Noble (two) and Manuel Lanzini were on target in a 4-1 victory in May 2019, while the Club captain also opened the scoring in a 3-1 success in August of the same year.
Overall, West Ham have won three, drawn two and lost two of seven Premier League matches at Vicarage Road.
Our widest margin of victory at Watford in all competitions was the 4-0 win Sam Allardyce’s Irons achieved in the Championship in August 2011.
Match officials
Referee: Darren England
Assistant Referees: Dan Cook & Peter Kirkup
Fourth Official: Chris Kavanagh
VAR: Martin Atkinson
Assistant VAR: Lee Betts
Tuesday's referee is 36-year-old Yorkshireman Darren England.
Born in Doncaster, England worked in Barnsley FC's community department as a football development officer before becoming a referee in 2012.
He was promoted to the National List of EFL referees in 2015, having previously assisted, before being added to the Select Group 2 of Championship and Premier League match officials in 2017.
England also took charge of the EFL League Two Play-Off final between Blackpool and Exeter City in May 2017.
He was promoted again to Select Group 1 for the Premier League at the start of the 2020/21 season, but this game will be his first in the competition involving West Ham United.
England's only previous West Ham appointment was the Carabao Cup fourth-round defeat at Everton in September 2020.