When
Yes the Premiership is where everyone wants to be, we are delighted to be here, but just how are the Golden Boys going to cope against the big boys?
A match against Sir Alex Ferguson's mighty Manchester United provides one of the ultimate tests for any club each season, let alone after the Red Devils' convincing start to this term, which has already seen them demolish both Fulham and Charlton Athletic inside the opening week. 
The Old Trafford club, even without the suspended Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes still pose an enormous threat to all comers in the top division, Champions Chelsea included, and with fit again Louis Saha and Ole Gunnar Solskaer already amongst the goals, a sustained season long title challenge is almost guaranteed.
United have talent in abundance throughout a star-studded squad and they should be boosted by a return to full fitness of England International, Michael Carrick, their £18m summer signing from Tottenham Hotspur.
Elsewhere, Edwin Van Dar Sar continues to marshal a solid looking backline which, although missing the injured Gary Neville and Gabriel Heinz, is still likely to include the gifted Rio Ferdinand together with Wes Brown, Patrice Evra and Mikael Silvestre.
It is perceived by a number of seasoned observers that United's midfield is perhaps lacking in certain areas, but any team able to call upon the likes of Darren Fletcher, Cristiano Ronaldo,
Dynamic manager, Aidy Boothroyd has been pleased with the team's performances so far, and has been quoted this week as saying he respects all but fears none. He has crucially installed this belief amongst his hard working players, and although the task this weekend is considerable, the charismatic boss himself will be expecting nothing less than a positive result. 
However,
Premiership rules state that loan players can not play against their parent club, which will almost certainly mean a Premiership debut for Richard Lee, himself back at
So the scene has been set, and with both teams primed to attack there should be plenty of goals, hold onto your seats, it's likely to be a cracker!
History of the Watford v
The Golden Boys did record two excellent home victories over the Old Trafford club during the mid eighties, a 5-1 rout of the Red Devils in the 1984/85 season, being closely followed by a one goal success two years later, but more recently the
The last time the sides locked horns was in October 2000, when Sir Alex Ferguson's team ran out comfortable three goal winners in a League Cup tie.
For a detailed analysis of the head-to-head between the two sides, click here
Recent encounters between the teams: | |||||
2000/2001 | Tue 31 Oct | 0-3 | LGEC | ||
1999/2000 | Sat 29 Apr | 2-3 | PREM | ||
1999/2000 | Sat 16 Oct | 4-1 | PREM | ||
1987/1988 | Sat 02 Jan | 0-1 | PREM | ||
1987/1988 | Sat 22 Aug | 2-0 | PREM | ||
1986/1987 | Sat 14 Feb | 3-1 | PREM | ||
1986/1987 | Tue 16 Sep | 1-0 | PREM | ||
Recent respective form guides
Watford have lost just one of their last six matches at Vicarage Road, stretching back to last season, although four of these have been drawn, the most recent being the exciting stalemate against Alan Pardew's West Ham United on Tuesday evening. The Golden Boys has managed four goals in this time, with five being conceded.
The away form of Manchester United is extremely impressive, with a marvellous return of five wins and one defeat from ther last six matches played, although crucially the loss came to Champions Chelsea at
The games have constituted a decent return of 11 goals for the Red Devils, with six conceded.
Watford are currently in a respectable 14th position in the league having picked up 1 point from their 2 matches, while our illustrious visitors are presently sitting proudly at the top of the entire league, having collected a maximum 6 points from their opening two fixtures.
For a detailed analysis of team form guides throughout the leagues, click here
Current form guides: | P | W | D | L | F | A | P |
6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 9 | |
Man Utd. | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 5 | 13 |
Golden Boys Prediction
The match up against Manchester United provides one of the biggest tests for Aidy Boothroyd's men, especially given the Old Trafford side's flying start. If the Golden Boys can get their noses in front they may stand a chance of upsetting the Red Devils, but realistically it is going to be tough.
The heart says a victory but we will happily settle for a point. Score Draw
Sequence statistics: | |
Drawn last 3 games at home. | |
12 games since last away draw. | |