Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris must have two Watford players bookmarked, one as a danger and the other as a potential weak spot.
Sunderland will look to make it two wins on the bounce in the Championship as they welcome Watford to the Stadium of Light this weekend.
The Black Cats fell to a 2-1 defeat last time out against the Hornets back in September, and the pressure will be on Sunderland to hand the out-of-form Watford side a loss on their travels.
With one win in their last nine Championship clashes, Sunderland will be regarded firmly as favourites, especially after such a top notch showing against Middlesbrough, with Enzo Le Fee and Wilson Isidor shining for the Black Cats.
Looking at Watford’s likely starting side, there is one man in their defence that they should be looking to exploit…
The Black Cats must ensure that their attacking forces are on top form to see off Watford, and one man that will be crucial in notching a potential win is Patrick Roberts.
The Sunderland winger will find himself up against wing-back Yasser Larouci, who has been rather inconsistent in terms of defensive ability this season. Per SofaScore, the Algerian full-back has given away one penalty, and only averaged 0.1 possession wins, 0.6 tackles and 0.8 interceptions per game, a remarkably low amount.
Larouci’s qualities lie within his attacking play, but Roberts could without a doubt exploit his somewhat shaky defensive ability.
In terms of Watford’s star men, not many come close to Georgian international Giorgi Chakvetadze.
The man, who is often utilised at left-wing, has recorded two goals and five assists so far in the 2024/25 Championship season, and looks to be dealy with the ball at his feet, often playing progressively in looking to get his side on the front foot.
Regis Le Bris will need to ensure that Trai Hume is not only able to deal with his threat, but that he also has back-up from Roberts and potentially either Luke O’Nien or Chris Mepham at the back in order to double-up on the Watford star.
Chakvetadze’s form has somewhat dipped in recent weeks, but there is no doubt that he still holds that killer touch that can turn a game on its head and ‘quality’, as regarded by Cleverley, per Watford Observer, and Sunderland must be aware of that ability he possesses.
