Watford vs. Aston Villa 8/14/21 Premier League Soccer Pick, Odds, and Predictions

Watford and Aston Villa face off on Saturday in their first English Premier League game of the season at Vicarage Road Stadium.

Watford is back in the Premier League after picking up 91 points and that allowed them automatic promotion. This is a Watford team that is talented and they hope they can stay up in the Premier League past this season. Imran Louza, Joshua King, Emmanuel Dennis, and Juraj Kucka have all been brought in, and they should all play roles this season. Watford is banged up heading into this matchup and strikers Joao Pedro and Joshua King are both going to miss this game. Coming into this game, there have to be some concerns about how Watford looked in the exhibition season. Watford really struggled against Premier League teams including losing to Brentford, a team that also just joined the top flight. The defense for Watford was an issue, and they are going to need the defense to be better in this game. 

Aston Villa wasn’t shy bringing in players this offseason including Emiliano Buendia, Danny Ings, and Leon Bailey. Aston Villa did lose their star though with Jack Grealish moving to Manchester City. For Aston Villa, they have some injury concerns heading into this game, but he might not know the status until closer to start time. Star striker Ollie Watkins is dealing with a knee injury and his status is up in the air. If Watkins can’t go, that is going to be a big loss for Aston Villa. The good news for Aston Villa is it looks like new signing Leon Bailey is ready to go and should play in this match. 

Watford has had issues heading into this season, and I don’t think in this game they are going to magically turn it around. Look for Aston Villa’s defense to be strong, and the favorite will come away with the victory.