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Fri 2 October 2015 9:11, UK

Bournemouth v Watford
Saturday 3rd October at 3pm
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“Watford’s away form has been impossible to fault so far, drawing at Everton in a clash that they led for 66 minutes and never trailed in, beating Newcastle and holding out for over a half in a 2-0 loss to then-flawless Man City.”
Bournemouth
The Cherries have shown that it is possible to ascend from League Two to the Premier League in five years and three months and be competitive, averaging a point per game from their opening seven matches at English football’s highest level, with the highlight a 4-3 success at third-placed West Ham.
However, the challenge is becoming progressively tougher both from a fixture list perspective – with three of last season’s top seven awaiting after this encounter – and on the injury front.
The newcomers have been excruciatingly unlucky in losing three of their most established players to long-term knee ligament injuries: Tyrone Mings, Max Gradel and now Callum Wilson, scorer of five Premier League goals already. As if that isn’t testing enough, they are also without Tommy Elphick and Harry Arter.
Watford
The Hornets decided that being cast as pre-season relegation favourites didn’t present a meaty enough task on its own, so cranked up the difficulty by ditching their promotion-winning coach Slavisa Jokanovic for English football novice Quique Flores and making 16 summer signings.
Oh how they were criticised but, as has been the case throughout the Pozzo family’s three-and-a-bit years in charge, they have proven that they have a better grasp on how to run a club that most of their peers and almost all of their detractors.
Two wins, three draws and two defeats – to strong-starting Manchester City and Crystal Palace – leave them above Chelsea and level on points with tenth-placed Southampton in 13th. There isn’t too much to stall them absentee-wise either, besides Valon Behrami’s ban and Alessandro Diamanti not yet being rated fit enough for 90 minutes by his boss.
Match Odds
You might question the relevance of head-to-head history given Bournemouth’s injury problems and Watford’s recent revamp, yet these teams did share a division in 2013/14 and 2014/15 and, despite the former finishing higher both times, the latter won two and drew two of their five meetings.
Though the Hertfordshire side’s sole reverse did occur 2-0 at the Vitality Stadium in January, they did have a pretty valid excuse in that Gabriele Angella was sent off after 28 seconds, and even then their conquerors struck just once from open play in the 89-plus minutes with a man advantage.
Watford’s away form has been impossible to fault so far, drawing at Everton in a clash that they led for 66 minutes and never trailed in, beating Newcastle and holding out for over a half in a 2-0 loss to then-flawless Man City.
Bournemouth by contrast were defeated by relegation zone-based Aston Villa on the opening day and held by Leicester before having the good fortune of being visited by generous bottom club Sunderland, so this writer intends to lay them at 2.18.
To Score
Odion Ighalo wasn’t at his most impressive against Crystal Palace in front of the Sky Sports cameras last weekend, but perhaps that shouldn’t come as a surprise when his best displays as a Premier League performer to date have been produced on the road.
Indeed, three of his four top-flight goals were netted away from Vicarage Road, namely Watford’s second at Goodison Park against Everton on matchday one and the brace that delivered them three points against Newcastle at St James’ Park a fortnight ago.
With Bournemouth’s only league clean sheet arriving against Sunderland and nine goals being conceded in their last four games either side of that one, the Nigerian international should receive a few chances, and is around 3.50 to fire.
Recommended Bet:
Lay Bournemouth to win @ 2.18
Back Watford to win and Ighalo to score @ 8.40
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