Luton Town v Watford: Alfie Doughty and Giorgi Chakvetadze factor could dictate who wins.
Luton Town host Watford at Kenilworth Road on Saturday, which will see two of the league’s best creative players face-off against one another.
Any local derby game is always going to have that extra little bit of needle in it than most other games teams play. The bragging rights are up for grabs on Saturday when Luton host Watford, with Rob Edwards also coming up against his former employers.
Both sides come into the match in slightly different positions than they may have expected, with the recently relegated Hatters down near the relegation zone after nine games, while the Hornets are sitting in the play-off places despite plenty of pessimism in the summer regarding their chances.
Evidently, results need to improve at Kenilworth Road. Luton having the home advantage against the Hornets is something that they will be looking to take full advantage of to return to winning ways in what has become a must-win game for Edwards, with Watford potentially set to have the last laugh if he’s sacked after this weekend’s game.
Tom Cleverley’s side are enjoying a fairly successful season thus far, sitting in the play-off mix despite enduring a fairly torrid pre-season period. They could cut the gap to sides at the very top of the table with a win at lunchtime.
Alfie Doughty is Luton’s source of creative inspiration
Rob Edwards Luton Town
Luton against Watford is, naturally, a massive fixture for both sets of fans. The local grudge has been reignited in recent years after the two clubs that were once four divisions apart, now find themselves both playing at the same level in the English football pyramid.
However, this has been Luton’s worst EFL start to a season in 22 years and Watford will be relishing the battle. That said, form goes out of the window on derby day, even if numerous Luton players who impressed in the top-flight are struggling to perform well back in the Championship.
Elijah Adebayo, their talismanic striker, is yet to get off the mark this season. After netting ten times last season, this is a bitterly disappointing return to the Championship for the centre-forward who came into the season as one of the favourites for the second tier’s golden boot.
There is one player who has returned to the division a better player than when he last played in it, with Luton’s Alfie Doughty one of the shining lights so far. He has created the most chances in the division, and although he is a set-piece taker, that is still an impressive feat.
Doughty has a wonderful left peg, swinging in crosses with ease no matter which flank he is deployed on. The attack-minded full-back or wing-back is one of the most naturally creative players in the division and should be a good source of goals with his deliveries from corners and free-kicks as well.
Per FotMob, he has created 29 chances in the nine games so far, with three of those considered to be big chances, and two of them ending in an assist for the 24-year-old. There are two players just behind him in this metric, with one of them on the opposing team on Saturday.
Tom Cleverley
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This should be an intense early kick-off game between the two rivals on Saturday.
Giorgi Chakvetadze is Watford’s main man
Giorgi Chakvetadze
There have been plenty of protagonists to catch the eye at Vicarage Road of late, with a number of top performers doing the business in the final third. However, there has been one particularly standout player for the Hornets at the start of this season.
Giorgi Chakvetadze has been pivotal to their early performances. He got his season underway in the perfect fashion in the curtain-raiser against Millwall, with a stunning 30-yard free kick to double his side’s advantage over the Lions, to equal his goal tally for the previous campaign on the opening day.
At 25 years of age, there is a feeling that Chakvetadze could be a real asset in the coming years for Watford, or a player who demands a large transfer fee. He has created 25 chances this season for Watford, which is bettered only by Doughty and Middlesbrough’s Finn Azaz, and is ahead of Scott Twine and Marcelino Nunez just behind.
His quality is undeniable, and his match-winning quality is starting to shine through under Tom Cleverley after a period of adaptation last season. There is every chance that the game between Luton and Watford is settled by a moment of inspiration, be that in open play or via a set-piece, from one of Chakvetadze or Doughty.
They are both likely to see plenty of the ball, given their quality, and have the individual
