Following a pair of home games, City are preparing to head back on the road as they travel to Vicarage Road to play Watford on Tuesday 3 November (7.45pm KO).
Read all the key stats and information ahead of the clash with the Hornets as well as the pre-match thoughts of both Tom Shaw and Sonny Bradley.
Opposition Information
Alessio Dionisi’s side currently find themselves in 21st place, just one spot outside the drop zone at this early stage of the season. They’ve accumulated 11 points after 13 games with a record of three wins, two draws and eight losses. They have lost six of their last seven games, with the only success coming three games ago as they welcomed Charlton Athletic and emerged 2-0 victors with goals from Luca Kjerrumgaard and Jordan Zemura. Their most recent fixture was away from home as they travelled to Norfolk to face Norwich and despite taking a 2-0 lead within half an hour, they returned home empty handed with a 3-2 loss.
One player who will be looking to build on his recent goalscoring form is Dutch forward Myron Boadu, who found the net twice in Watford’s 3-2 defeat away at Norwich City on Saturday. The 25-year-old has scored twice in six Championship appearances this season and brings considerable experience to the Hornets’ attacking options, having previously represented AZ Alkmaar, Monaco and Bochum. Boadu also has senior international experience with the Netherlands.
Another player who has been influential in Watford’s attacking play this season is Spanish forward Iker Bravo, who has contributed one goal and three assists in 13 Championship appearances. Bravo developed his game in the academies of Barcelona and Bayer Leverkusen before spending time with Real Madrid’s youth setup, building a reputation as a technically gifted attacking player. The Spaniard has been one of Watford’s main creative outlets during the opening months of the campaign.
Tom Shaw said: “They're down towards the bottom end of the league. It's not the season Watford will be wanting, but we see them as a dangerous opponent at home. We're going to have to be at our best, and our best away performance is going to take a lot of grit, a lot of hard yards. We're going to have to dig in and show moments of quality.”
Deji Elerewe
Sonny Bradley has formed a strong partnership at the heart of City's defence with Deji Elerewe, with the pair continuing to develop their understanding as the Imps compete in the Sky Bet Championship. The experienced defender spoke about the qualities his younger teammate brings to the side, how their relationship has grown on the pitch and the potential he believes Elerewe has develop even further.
Bradley said: “From the first day he came through the door, I could tell straight away in training. It took a little while for him to get his chance, but in the first couple of weeks I could see that he's big, he's aggressive and he's willing to get stuck in. Everything that he was asked to do, he could do comfortably.
“He's had a great start to the season, but it's just a start. I'm pretty sure, with the mentality he's got, he'll want to kick on for the rest of this year and certainly into the second half of the season. He's got a big future."
Sonny Bradley’s Thoughts
Since arriving at City nearly 18 months ago, Sonny Bradley has brought a wealth of experience and leadership to the Imps' backline, establishing himself as an important figure both on and off the pitch. The interim skipper spoke about the honest conversations had after Saturday’s defeat and how the side will look to bounce back against Watford.
He said: “I've been here nearly 18 months now and that's been part of our makeup. We've been good at the basics. So yeah, it was disappointing to concede the goals in the manner that we did but we've been honest in a meeting this morning and that's been spoken about.
“As a group of players, and I think the staff and everyone at the football club, we recognise that not every game is going to be perfect. What's important for me and the group is how quickly we can reset, how quickly we can go back and look at how we've built our success and what we need to do to react and win games. Despite not feeling great about the result, not feeling great about the goals, we've come in this morning, we've sorted it between us and we're looking forward to the next fixture."
H2H
The last time City visited Vicarage Road was on Tuesday 10 November 1981, when the Imps held Watford to a 2-2 draw in the third round of the League Cup. The result ensured the tie would go to a replay in Lincolnshire, where Watford eventually progressed with a 3-2 victory. The Hornets would go on to enjoy a memorable season under former Imps manager Graham Taylor, securing promotion to the First Division for the first time in their history.
The Imps enjoyed a memorable victory at Vicarage Road in December 1975, securing a 3-1 win over Watford in Division Four. City made a dream start as Alan Harding found the back of the net after just 32 seconds, but the hosts responded with an equaliser early in the second half. Graham Taylor's side regained control in the closing stages, with Peter Graham scoring twice in the final 15 minutes to seal all three points. The victory was another important result in a remarkable 1975/76 campaign, which saw City crowned Fourth Division champions with a record-breaking 74 points.
Match information
City will wear their gaming-inspired third kit for the clash with the Hornets - you can get yours HERE.
James Bell will be the man in the middle on Tuesday evening with his assistants being George Byrne and Michael Webb and the fourth official on the night being Ruebyn Ricardo.
Legendary broadcaster, John Helm, will be joined by Sam Habergham to provide commentary for Imps+ - check out your streaming options HERE.
