Nigel Pearson urges Watford players to 'free themselves' from pressure of West Ham relegation clash

Nigel Pearson has challenged his Watford players to play with real freedom and block out the pressure of their crucial relegation clash at West Ham on Friday.

Two consecutive home victories have boosted the Hornets' hopes of survival, which had looked bleak in December when Pearson took charge of a side rock bottom and seven points from safety.

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They travel to the London Stadium on Friday, live on Sky Sports, knowing a consecutive third consecutive win would lift them above West Ham and pile more pressure on the two sides currently below them - Aston Villa and Bournemouth.

With games against Manchester City and Arsenal to finish, Friday's fixture appears, on paper, to be Watford's best chance of getting three points, but Pearson did not want to put everything on one match.

"On the face of it, there's an awful lot riding on it but it's also important that our players are able to free themselves up and play," said Watford boss Pearson.

"When you're under pressure that can certainly affect lots of different aspects of performance, but collectively we've shown a real resilience.

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"They [West Ham] are fighting for their lives. They've found some decent form of late and we know it will be a tough game and I'm sure David (Moyes) will be expecting a tough game.

"It's a game in which both sides would have a huge benefit if they win.

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"The three game that we have left are all opportunities. I'm not going to classify games as being more important than the other.

"We need to commit ourselves to having that positive intent and do what we can to win the game."

Deeney keen to play despite 'grumbly knee'

Troy Deeney could be crucial to Watford's hopes of staying up but the Hornets' captain is managing an ongoing knee issue.

Deeney, 32, scored both of Watford's goals from the penalty spot in a 2-1 win over Newcastle on Saturday and is eager to help his side get across the line.

"Troy has got an ongoing problem like a lot of players have," Pearson said. "It's something he'll probably have for the rest of his career and it's a case of managing what is essentially a grumbly knee.

"The choice is whether you want to play or not. He is very keen to play and when you get to this stage of a season with the type of pressure we are under, when players show a keenness to be a part of it I think that is really good.

"He is still a player who we would prefer to be as close to 100 per cent as possible.

"He is aware of his situation and he wants to play. For me, that's a very positive sign and we need that positive mind-set at the moment."

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