Ashley Barnes grabs a goal and assist as Burnley open their pre-season schedule with a win in Switzerland. Southampton manager Claude Puel trials a new formation in his first match in charge, whilst a goalless draw for Hull was marred by a potentially serious injury to defender Moses Odubajo.
Stevenage 0 Watford 2
Watford recorded their first win of pre-season with a comfortable victory over Stevenage on Thursday evening.
Coach Walter Mazzarri had utilised 3-5-2 and a four-man backline for the club’s opening friendly (a 1-1 draw at Woking) but the Italian stuck with the former formation throughout the match with their League Two opponents.
Allan Nyom and Miguel Britos started either side of central defender Tommie Hoban, with Nordin Amrabat keeping his place at right wing-back and Steven Berghuis, Mario Suarez and Étienne Capoue fitting in alongside the returning José Holebas on the left.
Captain Troy Deeney was back after a slight knock and played in his usual role just behind the more advanced Odion Ighalo.
The goals came courtesy of a superb strike from midfielder Capoue, who fired into the top corner five minutes into the second-half, before substitute Jerome Sinclair headed in from close-range in the final minute from an Almen Abdi assist.
Injury-wise, Holebas and Adlene Guedioura were both forced off in the second period, whilst Ben Watson missed out altogether with a knock.
In terms of new faces, Watford have signed Colombia international full-back Juan Camilo Zuniga on a season-long loan from Napoli, where he played for four years under Mazzarri. Zuniga, 30, can play on either flank.
Watford XI: Gomes (Arlauskis, HT); Nyom, Britos, Hoban; Amrabat (Doucoure, HT), Suarez (Guedioura, HT) (Success, 75), Capoue, Berghuis (Anya, HT), Holebas (Abdi, 61); Deeney (Vydra, 82), Ighalo (Sinclair, 61).
Stade Nyonnais 1 Burnley 3
All but two of Burnley’s squad were given a run-out as Sean Dyche’s men made short work of their Swiss opponents.
Last season’s top scorer, Andre Gray opened the scoring from an Ashley Barnes through ball before the latter doubled the advantage when he headed home an Aiden O’Neill cross.
O’Neill, a 17-year-old Australian midfielder, turned in an eye-catching performance throughout, despite only being drafted into the senior squad a fortnight ago.
The hosts rallied and scored after the break before Michael Keane sealed the deal with a header from a Michael Kightly free-kick – the former Wolves winger was on set-piece duties for Burnley throughout.
Striker Lukas Jutkiewicz continued his return from a cruciate knee ligament injury with a second-half appearance.
Burnley XI: First-half: Robinson, Darikwa, Keane, Mee, Dummigan, Marney, O’Neill, Boyd, Kightly, Gray, Barnes.
Burnley XI: Second-half: Robinson (Mitchell 62), Lowton, K. Long, Tarkowski, Lafferty, C. Long, Ulvestad, Jones, Arfield, Hennings, Jutkiewicz
Grimsby Town 0 Hull City 0
Hull started their preparations for life back in the Premier League with a goalless draw at Grimsby.
Manager Steve Bruce gave 19 players a run-out at Blundell Park, but lost right back Moses Odubajo to a potentially serious injury after just five minutes.
It is feared that the England U20 international, who made 42 appearances in all competitions for the Tigers last season, dislocated his kneecap. Post-match, Bruce admitted he already fears the worst:
“Moses will be like anyone when you pick up an injury. We just hope, fingers crossed, that he’ll be okay. We need confirmation on whether he dislocated it or not. We’ll know that by scans. We need to find out if has been dislocated and whether there’s been damaged ligaments. If it has then it’s not great. I don’t want to prejudge anything but it doesn’t look great as we stand.”
His replacement, Harry Maguire, also picked up a knock in the second-half and was subbed off for Academy player Josh Clackstone.
Meanwhile, Abel Hernandez and David Meyler will join up with the squad after today’s match against North Ferriby.
The pair were given extra time off to recover from their international commitments, Hernandez with Uruguay and Meyler the Republic of Ireland. The former was the Tigers’ top scorer last season, with 22 goals, while the latter was an integral member of Bruce’s promotion-winning squad, making 35 appearances.
Hull XI: Jakupovic (Kuciak 46), Odubajo (Maguire 5, Clackstone 52), Robertson (Tymon 67), Dawson, Davies, Snodgrass (Olley 67), Livermore, Huddlestone (Bowen 46), Clucas, Maloney (Ter Horst 77), Diame (Luer 67)
DC United Under 23’s 0 Southampton 2
Goals from James Ward-Prowse and Jay Rodriguez – from a late penalty – gave new Saints boss Claude Puel a debut victory.
The Frenchman handed summer signing Nathan Redmond his first start as he trialled a 4-3-2-1 formation, with the new boy and Dusan Tadic handed room to roam behind a lone striker, and the full-backs providing width from deep.
Ward-Prowse opened the scoring in the 16th minute and Southampton were comfortable throughout, despite Puel changing the entire team for the second period. This allowed another new signing, Pierre Emile Hojbjerg, his first action in a Saints’ shirt.
Rodriguez captained that new-look XI, converting from the spot after a foul on Sam McQueen. Puel will need to monitor the fitness of Harrison Reed, though, after he limped off in the closing stages.
Southampton XI: First Half: Gazzaniga, Martina, Van Dijk, Turnbull, Targett, Romeu, Clasie, Ward-Prowse, Redmond, Tadic, Austin.
Southampton XI: Second Half: Lewis, Valery, Stephens, Jones, McQueen, Hojbjerg (Sims 65), Reed, Hesketh, Isgrove (Gallagher 70), Rodriguez, Olomola.
