Watford and Southampton Set for FA Cup Replay

Watford FC and Southampton are gearing up for their FA Cup fourth-round replay, marking their third meeting in just under two months. The previous encounters ended in 1-1 draws at Vicarage Road, with one side taking an early lead and the other equalizing late. Southampton’s unbeaten run continues, now standing at 23 matches, following a 2-0 win against Rotherham United. This victory pushed Russell Martin‘s team into the automatic promotion spots in the Sky Bet Championship.

Despite positive steps in recovery, Watford will be without Edo Kayembe and Jeremy Ngakia, while Emmanuel Dennis is working on regaining his fitness. David Brooks, Southampton’s new signing, is cup-tied and will not feature, and Kamaldeen Sulemana and James Bree remain injured.

Both managers are aware of the previous encounters and the challenges they may face. Watford Head Coach, Valérien Ismaël, believes they were close to beating Southampton and will strive to do so in the replay. Stuart Gill, Southampton’s Assistant Manager, hinted at making changes to the starting lineup, as they did in the original cup tie.

Over the years, the two teams have had a mixed bag of results. However, Watford emerged as winners in their last visit to St Mary's, with Cucho Hernandez scoring two goals in a 2-1 victory.

The game between Southampton and Watford will be available for live streaming via Watford FC’s Hive Live service for both domestic and overseas supporters. The audio-only coverage will give fans the opportunity to follow the game closely.