Preview: Watford vs Saints
Get set for Southampton's third pre-season friendly, as Ralph Hasenhüttl's side travel to Wealdstone FC to face Watford.
Watford vs Saints
Pre-season friendly
Grosvenor Vale
Saturday 23rd July, 3pm BST
Having just returned from their camp in Austria, Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side will be looking to claim their first pre-season victory when they take on Watford on Saturday.
Saints suffered a 3-1 defeat in their pre-season opener to RB Leipzig in an intense 105-minute contest at Lavanttal-Arena.
Finishing fourth in the Bundesliga last season, Leipzig took the lead early on before Adam Armstrong’s second-half equaliser provided a glimmer of hope for Saints, but goals from Emil Forsberg and Ilaix Moriba put Leipzig out of reach.
Just a couple of days later, Saints were held to a draw when they faced SK Austria Klagenfurt at Wörthersee Stadion, despite hitting the woodwork twice during the tie.
Watford have had a mixed start to pre-season, starting with a 3-1 defeat to Cambridge before a goalless draw to Panathinakos.
A 2-0 defeat to Bolton followed, before Rob Edwards' side ran rampant against Wycombe Wanderers, securing a 4-1 win and claiming their first victory of pre-season.
While Watford find themselves in the Championship for the 2022/23 season, it was one a piece when the sides faced each other in 2021/22.
A stunning strike from Ché Adams was the difference at Vicarage Road back in October, with the striker netting after just 20 minutes.
A different story was told when the Hornets visited St Mary’s in March, with a Cucho Hernández brace giving the visitors a two goal advantage after 34 minutes.
Despite a goal from Moi Elyounoussi just before half-time, Saints were unable to draw level as Watford claimed all three points.
LIVE STREAM
We are unable to provide a live stream of the match, which will instead be broadcast via Watford’s own channels with a £5 fee to watch.
