The Brendan Rodgers era truly begins at Leicester City this weekend as the new Foxes boss takes charge of his first game at the helm with a trip to fellow mid-table stragglers Watford.
The former Premier League champions confirmed the appointment of the Celtic manager as their new supremo on a deal through to 2022 on the day they got back to winning ways with a 2-1 win over Brighton .
Now Rodgers, who last coached in the English top-tier with Liverpool, will look to leave his mark on a club who has endured a difficult year but still remain within feasible touching distance of a European place.
Javi Gracia’s Hornets sit five points and three places above them however and will just as likely fancy their chances of securing continental football as the season winds down, setting the stage for mouthwatering encounter at Vicarage Road.
| Game | Watford vs Leicester City |
| Date | Sunday, March 3 |
| Time | 12:00pm GMT / 7:00am ET |
| Stream (US only) | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| NBCSN | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League. It can be streamed on Sky Go.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Sky Sports Main Event / Sky Sports Premier League | Sky Go |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Watford squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Foster, Gomes, Dahlberg |
| Defenders | Mariappa, Kabasele, Cathcart, Britos, Wilmot, Prodl, Masina, Janmaat, Navarro |
| Midfielders | Cleverley, Capoue, Sema, Pereyra, Chalobah, Doucoure, Quina |
| Forwards | Deeney, Deulofeu, Success, Gray, Penaranda |
Despite the rather hefty battering at the hands of Liverpool last time out, Javi Gracia may opt to stick with a similar line-up and give them a chance to respond to their defeat.
Troy Deeney will likely front up the attack once more then, leading a 4-4-2 formation.
Potential Watford starting XI : Foster; Janmaat, Cathcart, Mariappa, Masina; Hughes, Doucoure, Capoue, Pereyra; Deulofeu, Deeney.
| Position | Leicester City squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Schmeichel, Ward, Jakupovic |
| Defenders | Simpson, Pereira, Morgan, Soyuncu, Evans, Maguire, Chilwell, Fuchs |
| Midfielders | Mendy, Ndidi, Choudhury, Maddison, Barnes, Gray, Ghezzal, James, Tielemans |
| Forwards | Vardy, Okazaki, Ihenacho |
With Brendan Rodgers taking the reins for the first time, there is something of an air of mystery over whom he may select.
Given that the team fielded by caretaker Mike Stowell delivered the win however, he may plump to keep something similar.
Potential Leicester starting XI : Schmeichel; Pereira, Evans, Maguire, Chilwell; Tielemans, Ndidi, Maddison; Gray, Vardy, Barnes.
Betting & Match Odds
Watford are slight favourites to take the three points, with odds of 31/20 at bet365 . Leicester are meanwhile priced at 2/1 while a draw is available at 23/10.
Match Preview
It’s a new month and a new dawn for Leicester City as Brendan Rodgers takes charge for the very first time after succeeding Claude Puel as manager of the Foxes.
A run of middling form saw the Frenchman handed the sack, with the former Liverpool manager returning to the Premier League following a highly successful stint in charge of Celtic .
Though not in the dugout himself for the 2-1 victory over Brighton earlier this week, a first win since New Year’s Day seems to spell out a promising omen for the Northern Irishman’s upcoming tenure.
Defender Harry Maguire stated that the squad was keen to work with Rodgers and that his reputation preceeded him too.
“We didn't find out [about Rodgers] until a few hours before kick-off,” the England international stated. “It's an exciting time for the club - I'm excited to get started, we all know his profile and what he's done. We're all looking forward to working with him.
“Celtic are a massive club so it shows how big Leicester are getting and our ambitions. It's exciting times. We know he's coached a lot of young players and we hope he can bring them on - we're all excited.
“We want to look up rather than down now. The performances haven't been too bad, but the results haven't been good enough.”
The first test for Rodgers comes in the shape of a trip to Javi Gracia’s Watford, who were comprehensively stuffed by Liverpool 5-0 in their last game .
However, the Hornets have performed well this season on the whole and lead, alongside Wolves, the half-dozen or so teams in pursuit of seventh-place and a potential shot at European football next season.
