Chelsea will face a challenging trip to Vicarage Road Stadium to take on hosts Watford in a Premier League clash on 26 December 2018, kick-off at 21h30 CAT.
Chelsea made a major statement of intent when they defeated champions Manchester City 2-0 at home on December 8 and they followed it up with a 2-1 away win over Brighton & Hove Albion eight days later, with goals from Pedro and Eden Hazard securing another three-point haul.
Manager Sarri will be entering his first busy festive season in charge of the Blues – the Italian tactician is used to having (or being on the verge of) a winter break at this stage of a campaign, but things only get more frantic in the coming days and weeks for England’s top flight teams.
Watford broke a six-match winless streak with a 3-2 victory of Cardiff City in their last match at Vicarage Road on December 15, though manager Javi Gracia will not have been impressed with the way his side very nearly threw away a three-goal advantage in the dying minutes.
The Hornets will come into the clash with Chelsea on the back of a game against another London side, as they face West Ham United (who have won four Premier League matches on the bounce) away on December 22, while Chelsea will have been at home to Leicester City on the same day.
In head-to-head stats, Watford and Chelsea have met in 10 Premier League matches. The Blues have claimed six wins compared to two for the Hornets, while two games have been drawn.
The teams’ most recent meeting was a Premier League clash at Vicarage Road in 2018 which saw Watford claim a 4-1 home victory, thanks to goals from Troy Deeney, Daryl Jaanmaat, Gerard Deulofeu and Roberto Pereyra. It was the Hornets’ first winover the Blues in any competition since September 1999.
Watford v Chelsea – Head-to-head, Premier League
Matches played 10
Watford wins 2
Chelsea wins 6
Draws 2
Last five results (Premier League only, most recent first)
| Watford | W | D | L | L | L |
| Chelsea | W | W | L | W | L |