Watford vs Norwich: Premier League preview, team news, stats, predictions, kick-off time, live on Sky

Team news, stats and prediction ahead of Watford vs Norwich in the Premier League on Friday Night Football; kick-off 8pm.

Team news

Watford are missing seven players for Friday's visit of fellow Premier League strugglers Norwich, with five-goal attacker Ismaila Sarr still in Spain for treatment on a knee injury.

The Senegal international has been sidelined since November but went to Barcelona recently to continue his recovery programme with an anticipated return pencilled in for next month.

Hornets boss Claudio Ranieri remains without Peter Etebo (hamstring), Kwadwo Baah (foot) and Nicolas Nkoulou (hamstring) while Imran Louza, Adam Masina and William Troost-Ekong are still absent due to their Africa Cup of Nations commitments.

Norwich will be without goalkeeper Tim Krul because of a shoulder problem suffered late on in the win over Everton, so Angus Gunn is set to deputise.

The Canaries have no other fresh injury concerns, with full-backs Max Aarons and Brandon Williams both recovered after being forced off against Everton while midfielder Kenny McLean is back available following his Covid-19 issues.

Mathias Normann (pelvis), Billy Gilmour (ankle), Lukas Rupp (hamstring), Andrew Omobamidele (back) and Christoph Zimmermann (ankle) all continue their recovery.

How to follow

Watford vs Norwich will be shown live on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event from 7pm; kick-off 8pm. Sky Sports customers can watch in-game clips in the live match blog on the Sky Sports website and app. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle.

Last time out... Jones Knows' prediction

Is this really the start of the great escape for Norwich? Or did they bump into the perfect opponent at the perfect time in the shape of a sorry excuse of an Everton performance?

My head is telling me to trust the longer-term data and back them to get beaten at Vicarage Road in what is shaping up to be a nervy, low-scoring encounter. Despite scoring twice vs Everton, Norwich are still the lowest scorers in all four divisions of English league football this season (10 goals) and have the worst defensive record in the Premier League this season (45 conceded).

Watford are likely to join Norwich back in the Sky Bet Championship next season but possess far greater quality in the final third in Emmanuel Dennis and Joao Pedro, which makes them backable at 21/20 with Sky Bet.

And, although early days, Watford's transfer activity over the last fortnight to sign Hassane Kamara from Nice, Samir from Udinese and Edo Kayembe from KAS Eupen in Belgium did seem to add more steel to their performance during the 1-1 draw with Newcastle. A first clean sheet of the season is on the horizon.

Such is Norwich's lack of goal threat - they have scored just three goals on the road this season - backing the game to finish under the 2.5 goal line looks a sensible ploy. Relegation battle scenarios such as this have a tendency to be low-scoring.

The last eight fixtures between teams in 20th and 17th in the Premier League in the last five years, when the fixture has come after November 29, have all produced less than 2.5 goals, including Newcastle vs Norwich, Newcastle vs Burnley and Newcastle vs Watford this season.

In fact, if you collate all such fixtures to fall into that category in the last five years to happen after January 1, the average goals per game average is 2.1, way below the normal average for a Premier League game which stands at 2.9 goals this season.

SCORE PREDICTION: 1-0

BETTING ANGLE: Watford to win and under 2.5 goals (4/1 with Sky Bet)

Opta stats

• Watford have won each of their last five league games against Norwich, last having a longer winning run against an opponent vs Ipswich (6 between 2005 and 2008).

• Norwich have won just one of their last eight away league games against Watford (D2 L5), winning 3-0 in the Championship in February 2015.

• Norwich have won just three of their last 29 away league games played on a Friday (D8 L18), a run stretching back to 1967.

• Watford have lost each of their last four home league games, last losing more consecutively at Vicarage Road between October and December 2013 in the Championship (5).

• In their last Premier League match against Everton, Norwich City scored more than once for only the fourth time in their last 45 top-flight matches, winning 2-1. Before that win, the Canaries had only scored one goal in their previous eight games (D2 L6).

• Since beating Liverpool 3-0 in February 2020, Watford have conceded at least once in each of their last 15 Premier League home games. The last team to have a longer run without a home clean sheet in the competition were Aston Villa (16 between December 2012 and October 2013).

• Norwich have scored the fewest (3) and conceded the most (25) away goals in the Premier League so far this season. Their three goals scored is the fewest 10 away games into a Premier League campaign since 2008-09, when both Fulham and West Brom also had three.

• Following their victory against Everton last time out, Dean Smith is looking to become the first Norwich manager to win back-to-back Premier League games with the club since Alex Neil in April 2016. The Canaries have won two in a row already this season, with Daniel Farke and Smith in charge for one game each.

• Norwich have netted the first goal in fewer Premier League games than any other side this season, though they have gone on to win both games in which they opened the scoring.

• Adam Idah scored his first Premier League goal for Norwich last time out against Everton - the last player from the Republic of Ireland and aged younger than 21 to score in back-to-back Premier League appearances was Shane Long (in October 2007 for Reading).

Premier League Preview: Conte's Spurs to crack Chelsea code? Man Utd momentum? Watford-Norwich six-pointer

The Essential Football Podcast returns as host Alice Piper is joined by Charlotte Marsh and Ben Grounds to preview another captivating round of Premier League games which could have ramifications at both ends of the table.

PART ONE | After their dramatic, late victory at Leicester, the panel assess whether Antonio Conte's Tottenham can crack the Stamford Bridge code and haul Chelsea back into the wide open race for the top four

PART TWO | Cristiano Ronaldo's tantrum stole the headlines but having bounced back at Brentford have Ralf Rangnick and Man Utd built enough momentum to capitalise on the West Ham fragilities exposed by Leeds and boost their top-four chances? Plus: with an 11-point lead at the summit, can champions Man City afford to take their foot of the gas at Southampton?

PART THREE | An archetypal relegation six-pointer kicks off the Premier League weekend as Watford host Norwich on Friday - but which club is best placed to seize the initiative? Plus: tasked with steadying the ship for the second time in three years, can Duncan Ferguson galvanise Everton ahead of the visit of Steven Gerrard's Aston Villa?