City head to Hertfordshire looking to bounce back from Saturday’s 3-1 defeat against Birmingham City, a game in which defensive mistakes proved costly despite some encouraging attacking moments. The trip will be City’s first to Watford in 44 years, and they will be looking for their first victory at Vicarage Road since 1974.
For Chris, the priority is restoring the defensive solidity that has been such an important part of the Imps’ success in recent seasons. Speaking in his post match press conference following the Birmingham defeat, Chris acknowledged the quality Watford possess, while insisting his side must concentrate on making themselves difficult to beat.
“It’ll be a really difficult game. Watford away, they’re always blessed with really good individuals. They’ll have a manager that’s got high pedigree. I know they’re not in a great moment. I think they lost from a winning position today.
“We have to get back to being hard to score against, hard to beat, first and foremost, before all the pretty stuff can come out.”
Watford will also be looking for a response after surrendering a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 at Norwich City on Saturday. Chris expects the Hornets to come out fighting, but believes City must concentrate on their own reaction to the Birmingham defeat rather than worrying too much about their opponents’ recent form.
“I’m sure there was a reaction from Birmingham today to losing and probably deserving to lose at Cardiff last week, so we’ve got to expect that. But we’ve got to make sure that we have the reaction of our own.
“And that comes from, as we said at the very start of it, being incredibly hard to beat. That comes from doing everything we can to negate and stop an opponent that has some threats, and then implementing all of our in-possession stuff after that.
“But it can’t be the other way around. We’ve got to make sure that we protect the cage and stop teams from getting opportunities before we start worrying about how we’re going to score more goals than everyone else.”
There was some positive news on the injury front, with no fresh concerns emerging from Saturday’s defeat and Conor McGrandles potentially returning after missing the Birmingham game with a knee problem. Chris confirmed that all five substitutions had been tactical, leaving the Imps hopeful of having a similar squad available for Tuesday’s encounter.
“No, nothing from today. All the subs were made to try and get back into the game.
“So hopefully that’s a clean bill of health. Hopefully Conor McGrandles will be closing in on a return as well to give us another selection headache.”
The meeting at Vicarage Road offers City an opportunity to recover quickly from the disappointment of Saturday, although Watford will have similar ambitions following their collapse at Carrow Road.
Both sides have something to prove after weekend defeats, and for the Imps, a first victory at the ground in more than half a century would be a welcome way to get back to winning ways.
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