Newcastle United will be hoping to recover from a poor start to the Premier League season when they welcome Watford to St James' Park on Saturday.
The Magpies have not won any of their opening five league games, while their opponents claimed their first victory since winning promotion to the top flight against Swansea City last weekend.
Newcastle United
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Newcastle have endured a difficult opening to the new Premier League season, and after just five games of the campaign they are bottom of the table having picked up just two points.
The arrival of Steve McClaren over the summer and big-money signings such as Georginio Wijnaldum, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Florian Thauvin had provided a major confidence boost, but already fans are fearing another relegation battle.
They had opened their campaign with a 2-2 draw against Southampton, but three losses from their past four games have followed, including Monday night's 2-0 defeat at West Ham United.
Following the match, McClaren said that he was disappointed with the performance of his players and admitted that they had learned a "big lesson", while also claiming that they had taken "two or three steps back".
One of the major criticisms of the club in the opening weeks has been their lack of firepower up front, and they have only managed to find the net twice, with both goals coming in their opening game.
Papiss Cisse struggled on his own up front against the Hammers and was starved of service throughout the match, while Mitrovic has not been able to find the net since his move from Anderlecht and is still sidelined following his red card against Arsenal.
Recent form: DLDWLL
Watford
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In contrast to Newcastle's poor form, it has been a positive start to the season for Watford and their new manager Quique Sanchez Flores.
The Hornets came within four minutes of winning on their return to the top flight against Everton, before a late goal from Arouna Kone saw them have to settle for a 2-2 draw at Goodison Park.
They maintained their unbeaten run in the next two games, with goalless draws against West Bromwich Albion and Southampton, before they finally succumbed to a 2-0 defeat against title contenders Manchester City.
However, last weekend Watford finally managed to earn their first win since gaining promotion as a goal from Odion Ighalo earned them a 1-0 victory over Swansea City.
It was their first win in the top flight since a 2-0 victory over Reading in May 2007, and will give them further hope that they can survive in the Premier League for the first time in their history after going straight back down in their last two campaigns.
Despite their positive results and fine defensive record at home, the Hornets have struggled to find the form that saw them score 91 goals in the Championship last season, with captain Troy Deeney yet to score in the Premier League.
Recent form: DDDLLW
Team News
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Mitrovic is still suspended for the Magpies, so Cisse will battle Ayoze Perez for a place in the forward line.
McClaren has also confirmed that Cheick Tiote, Steven Taylor and Mike Williamson will miss the match, while long-term absentees Sylvain Marveaux, Paul Dummett and Emmanuel Riviere are also ruled out.
Siem de Jong could also be in line for a start, after making a positive impact from the bench against West Ham.
Meanwhile, Watford are without suspended duo Miguel Britos and Valon Behrami, who was dismissed against the Swans last weekend.
Behrami's absence could see Ben Watson handed a start in the midfield, but Flores is unlikely to make sweeping changes to his side.
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Krul, Janmaat, Coloccini, Mbemba, Haidara, Colback, Wijnaldum, Sissoko, De Jong, Cisse
Watford possible starting lineup:
Gomes, Nyom, Cathcart, Prodl, Anya, Capoue, Waton, Abdi, Jurado, Deeney, Ighalo
Head To Head
The Magpies have not lost any of their previous nine games against Watford, in a run that stretches back almost 19 years.
They have not lost any of the Premier League meetings between the teams and came out on top twice when they played in the Championship five years ago.
In their last clash, goals from Fabricio Coloccini and Andy Carroll helped Newcastle to a 2-1 victory at Vicarage Road, as they eventually went on to secure promotion to the top flight.
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Hit play below to see what the Sports Mole Sofa had to say about this encounter:
We say: Newcastle United 1-0 Watford
The pressure is on Newcastle to perform this weekend and another defeat will pile further pressure on McClaren. His side have badly struggled in the final third and they look light of attacking options. Meanwhile, Watford are not scoring freely at the moment, but they are a well-drilled defensive unit under Flores. There could be little to choose between the teams, but we think that Newcastle will have just enough to claim their first win of the season.
Alex Meyers
