This is a fixture involving two sides who were tipped for real seasons of struggle. Both are seen as small clubs in the division and of course, this automatically results in bookmakers labeling them as relegation candidates. It appears as though these predictions are correct though, with Doncaster rooted to the foot of the table while Watford are only several places higher in 19th.
It would be fair to say that Doncaster have embarked on something of a turbulent campaign and while the club are sat bottom of the table, a lot of their fans won’t be too concerned about relegation. A couple of months ago this may have been the case, but there have been several off the field movements that have brought the Keepmoat Stadium into the limelight in recent times. Using a scheme devised by Willie McKay, Rovers have received several high profile players without breaking the bank with their wage structure. The likes of El-Hadji Diouf, Carl Ikeme, Habib Beye, Marc-Antoine Fortune and Herold Goulon have all joined the club in recent weeks, making their squad appear extremely strong on paper. However, at the moment this work in the transfer market does not appear to be paying off, with Dean Saunders’ men approaching this fixture having lost their last two games.
Watford meanwhile find themselves seven points ahead of their opponents, meaning that this game is of huge significance in their bid to avoid the drop. The Hornets should certainly carry some confidence into the clash though after recording some impressive results in their recent games. They managed to beat Portsmouth 2-0 in their last game, while they have also recorded victories over the likes of Peterborough and Brighton in recent weeks. Those results mean that they have won three out of their last four games and should they manage to improve that run on Saturday, they really will have a lot of breathing space between them and the drop zone.
On the team news front, Doncaster are preparing to give debuts to several of their new players with Habib Beye, Marc-Antoine Fortune and Herold Goulon all in contention. However, Dean Saunders also has a couple of problems and will not be able to select Shelton Martis or Pascal Chimbonda, as hip and groin injuries hinder them. Watford approach the clash with several concerns as well, with Sean Dyche missing Martin Taylor and Stephen McGinn through injuries while Lloyd Doyley is clashed as a doubt. To make matters worse, Jonathan Hogg is also unavailable as he serves a ban.
The form book suggests that Watford should be easy victors here, but we are going against that philosophy. Doncaster have been boosted with several high profile signings in recent times and with Rovers also holding the home advantage, our tip will be a 2-1 victory for Dean Saunders’ men.
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