MX23RW : Sunday, February 16 12:16:18| >> :600:165198:165198:
[monks data]
Attendance: 20,323
Watford logo
Premier League | Gameweek 36
Apr 27, 2019 at 3pm UK
 
Wolves logo

1-2

Gray (49')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Jimenez (41'), Jota (77')

Javi Gracia: 'No extra motivation needed for Wolverhampton Wanderers clash'

Gracia: 'No extra motivation needed for Wolves clash'
© Reuters
The Hornets are locked in a battle for seventh place.

Watford boss Javi Gracia does not expect his side or Wolves to need any extra motivation when the top-seven hopefuls clash at Vicarage Road.

The pair are separated by just a point heading into the final three matches of the battle to finish best of the rest – which could end up securing Europa League qualification.

Earlier this month, Watford fought back from 2-0 down to beat Wolves after extra-time in their FA Cup semi-final to secure a return to Wembley against title-chasers Manchester City on May 18.

Gracia expects nothing else than another stern test from Nuno Espirito Santo's men, who have more than held their own back in the top flight and beat Arsenal 3-1 at Molineux on Wednesday night.

"They will be motivated, but we are as well," the Watford boss said.

"All of us want to win the game to achieve a better position, so I don't need any extra motivation to play tomorrow.

"In this moment, the league is our target. When the league finishes, we have time to prepare for the (FA Cup) final.

"We want to play as better as possible in the next game to try and better our position.

"We will try to achieve the points as we know how important it is to have a good chance to achieve seventh place."

Watford won 2-0 at Wolves in October, but Gracia warned against complacency.

"We are playing against Wolves, but they are a different team from the first two matches," Gracia said at his pre-match press conference.

"In the first game they played with a midfield two and then three in front. Then, in the second one, they played with three in midfield plus two in front.

"I thought it was better to play the way we did in the second game (with a diamond). Now I have to decide what is best for my players to play against them, but the most important thing is ourselves, what we do.

"Both games have been very tough, very equal games and we know it will be the same in this situation."

Watford are set for a best Premier League finish, and could yet match the points tally of 53 from Graham Taylor's team in the 1985-86 campaign.

"I think during the season we've been in a good position in the table. I have spoken about this before, but the end position will be a consequence of all the things we have done before," Gracia said.

"If we focus just on the next game, we have more chances to achieve this position."

Troy Deeney serves the final game of a three-match suspension. The striker also sat out the midweek 1-1 draw against Southampton – where Shane Long had scored the fastest goal in Premier League history after just 7.69 seconds only to be cancelled out by a 90th-minute equaliser from Andre Gray.

The club confirmed on Friday they were set to receive an additional allocation of between 1,500 and 2,000 tickets for the FA Cup final.

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Press Association Sport staff');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', 'ddc89840-0ad0-4a99-bdcd-eec57a0159b6');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:club-news,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:uk');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'We don\u2019t need any extra motivation for Wolves clash, says Watford boss Gracia'});

ID:357407: cacheID:357407:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5372:
Written by
P A
No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Nuno Espirito Santo celebrates three more points in the bag on February 2, 2019
Read Next:
Nuno insists Wolves not out for "revenge or payback" against Watford
>
Read more about Javi Gracia Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd33226547232470
2Leeds UnitedLeeds32209366194769
3Burnley33171423993065
4Sunderland321711449282162
5Blackburn RoversBlackburn33156123931851
6West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom331115742311148
7Coventry CityCoventry33138124441347
8Bristol City33111394137446
9Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds33129124650-445
10Watford33136144348-545
11Middlesbrough32128125043744
12Norwich CityNorwich331111115145644
13Queens Park RangersQPR331111113941-244
14Millwall321011113233-141
15Preston North EndPreston3291493438-441
16Oxford UnitedOxford Utd33911133447-1338
17Swansea CitySwansea33107163446-1237
18Portsmouth3399154155-1436
19Stoke CityStoke32811133140-935
20Cardiff CityCardiff32711143554-1932
21Hull City3279163243-1130
22Derby CountyDerby3378183346-1329
23Plymouth ArgylePlymouth32610163466-3228
24Luton TownLuton3276193052-2227


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!