Manchester United travel to Watford for a Premier League tie as favourites, but Red Devils midfielder Juan Mata feels the high-flying Hornets will not make life easy for their illustrious opponents on Tuesday night.
“The week is having a strong start: tomorrow, Tuesday, we face Watford so we have to recover quickly and get ready for the game, there is no time to waste,” Mata wrote on his blog.
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United laboured to a 1-0 win over Premier League newcomers Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday to remain within touching distance of leaders Manchester City.
Mata started on Saturday, but was subbed off shorty after the hour-mark with the teams still deadlocked. A Lewis Dunk own goal in the 66th minute proved to be the winner on the night at Old Trafford.
“Actually, this is the main challenge for professional clubs nowadays: finding the right balance between the work after and before two games when you only have three or four days in between.”
Under new manager Marco Silva, Watford have been impressive this season and while their Portuguese tactician has repeatedly stated that their target is to stave off relegation, they, along with Burnley, are considered dark horses for the European spots.
“Also, tomorrow’s game is going to be really difficult. Watford is one of the toughest teams to beat in the Premier League right now, you just have to see their games this season. That’s why they are in the eighth position,” Mata stressed.
“The truth is, as you know, that any game in the Premier League can get complicated. Last Saturday, Brighton made things very, very difficult for us. It wasn’t our best performance of the season, that’s for sure, but we got the three points,” added the 29-year-old Spaniard.
The Red Devils’ busy winter schedule has begun for after their trip to Watford, they travel to London to take on arch-rivals Arsenal in what promises to be a cracking encounter.
Saturday’s tie at the Emirates will be a vital one for both sides as with Man City threatening to run away with the league title, neither the Gunners nor the Red Devils can afford to drop points.
“Only four days after visiting Watford we will travel to London again, in this case to play against Arsenal,” Mata penned as he continued, “So, we have two consecutive away games that will require us to be very effective and competitive at all levels. I feel that the whole squad is absolutely involved on this and that’s a key factor because with so many fixtures we need to have the entire team focused”.