FA Cup not the priority for Watford
- Published
Geoff Doyle, 麻豆官网首页入口 Three Counties Radio
Watford face holders Leicester City in the FA Cup on Saturday. Claudio Ranieri, who was an FA Cup finalist with Chelsea back in the day, comes up against his former club as two Premier League sides go head to head.
It should be considered as one of the bigger ties of the round. But the circumstances Watford find themselves in in the league, and the hand they have recently been dealt fixture-wise, means it isn't.
The rescheduling of the Burnley game and the date set for it means this tie is now even lower on the priority scale. The Hornets have bigger fish to fry; Premier League survival is top
The authorities have sandwiched in Watford's vital trip to Turf Moor on 18 January. It means that after the cup tie at Leicester, the Hornets play Newcastle, Burnley and Norwich in the space of six days - the three teams immediately below Watford in the relegation scrap.
The week could define Ranieri's side's season. To have such pivotal games (the first two away) with little rest in between means the head coach cannot take risks with his key players at Leicester.
Top scorer Emmanuel Dennis won't play and he will be one of many who will be given a break. So the Hornets will be weaker and inexperienced, although it will give opportunities for some of the younger players. Ranieri has already said that James Morris will start and Kamil Conteh might.
It could have been the perfect time to bed in new signings Hassane Kamara and fellow defender Samir, but Ranieri has to decide whether it's even too risky for that before a monumental following week.