One obvious Watford weakness Saints can exploit at Vicarage Road

Southampton kick off at Vicarage Road on Sunday, a 1:30pm start live on Sky. The timing could hardly be kinder.

Watford are a work in progress. Alessio Dionisi only took the job on the 15th June. He is still trying to transmit his ideas onto a squad that isn't really his yet.

That is the crack Saints can lever open.

A side still finding its shape

Dionisi has said the quiet part out loud. He wants his team compact, because right now there's too much daylight between the striker, the wingers and the midfield.

A side strung out like that leaks space in the middle third, which is exactly where Flynn Downes and company like to win the ball and go. Get at that gap early and Watford will be chasing shadows.

The mood around the club doesn't help them either. They are also bracing for the sale of Nestory Irankunda, one of their liveliest attackers, who is having his medical at Sporting, so Dionisi will almost certainly lose a key man before a ball is kicked in anger.

Saints Marching has picked out the players with most to prove on the day, and a disjointed opponent is the perfect stage for one of them to make a point.

Where Saints can hurt them

Start with the press. If Southampton squeeze the space between Watford's lines, a manager still teaching his players where to stand will struggle to play out effectively.

Then there's the width. Cyle Larin leads the line in form after his cameo at Colchester, and quick service from wide could pull a shaky new-look back line all over the place. Divin Mubama, the new loan striker from Manchester City, gives Eckert another attacking card to play from the bench.

The bookies see it the same way, with a 2-0 Saints win doing the rounds as the popular call. A four-point deduction means Southampton cannot afford slow starts, so a beatable opponent on day one is a gift.

The travelling support know it too. Saints Marching reported the away end is already sold out for the trip up the M3, and a big, loud following tends to unsettle a nervy home crowd.

Nothing is won on paper, of course. Watford at home on the opening day is still a test, and a new manager can spring a surprise before anyone has him figured out.

Verdict: Get the first goal, and a fixture like this is set up for Southampton to make a statement.