Watford will continue their attempts to save their season when Premier League newcomers Sheffield United visit Vicarage Road on Saturday.
The Hornets are still chasing that elusive first win of the campaign and they currently sit bottom of the league. Their total of two points, one of which has come under the returning Quique Sanchez Flores, is simply not good enough.
There is already a four-point gap to safety in the table, and Watford know that they cannot afford to continue to drop points so early in the campaign.
Watford actually sit where many fans thought Sheffield United would be. However, that certainly has not been the case as Chris Wilder's side have taken to the top flight like a duck to water.
The Blades currently find themselves 12th in the table, and they could have been even higher if they had walked away with the point they deserved against Liverpool last time out.
Thanks to Opta, here are some stats you need to know heading into the game.
Unfamiliar Foes
Our last meeting with @SheffieldUnited was an eventful one!
— Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC) October 3, 2019
2️⃣ reds
3️⃣ goals ⚽
3️⃣ points #ThrowbackThursday pic.twitter.com/3tPaSQYu3a
The two sides don't exactly have much Premier League history with one another. They have faced off just twice in the competition's history, with Sheffield United picking up two 1-0 wins during the 2006/07 campaign.
Their last meeting in league football came in the 2010/11 Championship season, in which Micky Adams' Blades were thumped 3-0 by Watford at Vicarage Road in March.
On the Brink of Catastrophic History
We all know just how bad things have been for Watford this season, but things could be about to get a whole lot worse for Flores' men.
Watford are without a win in their seven league games this season, but this isn't the first time they've been on such a poor run. Back in the 2006/07 campaign, they did not take home three points until the 11th game of the season.
The Hornets have conceded at least once in each of their last 19 Premier League games, which is the longest current run without a clean sheet in the competition. Meanwhile, only Crystal Palace in 2017/18 (-17) have had a worse goal difference after seven matches than the Hornets’ -16 this term.
Brilliant Blades
As for Sheffield United, they are looking to secure back-to-back Premier League away victories for only the fourth time in their history, doing so once in each of their three previous campaigns in the competition. The last occasion included a victory at Watford in December 2006.
Wilder's side are unbeaten away from home in the Premier League this season (W1 D2). They last remained unbeaten in their opening four games on the road in any division in 2012/13, and in the top flight in 1972/73.
Key Men
If Watford are going to get anything from this match, they will likely need to look to Roberto Pereyra. The Argentine is the only player to score more than once for the Hornets in all competitions this season, but even he only sits on two strikes.
Sheffield United’s Leon Clarke made his Premier League debut last time out against Liverpool. If he scores, he’d be the oldest player to score his first goal in the competition (34y 237d on the day of this game) since Zlatan Ibrahimovic in August 2016 (34y 315d).
Source : 90min