Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino wary of Watford as Saints aim to continue positive Premier League start
- Southampton host Watford in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon
- Manager Mauricio Pellegrino is eager to continue the Saints' positive start
- They have beaten West Ham and drawn with Swansea City and Huddersfield
- But Pellegrino is cautious of a Watford side who also remain unbeaten
- CLICK HERE for all the stats and team news for the match at St Mary's
Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino warned his team they cannot afford to switch off against Watford if they are to maintain a positive start to the Premier League season.
The Saints remain unbeaten in their opening three league games, although they did crash out of the Carabao Cup at home to Sky Bet Championship side Wolves.
With Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk now being reintegrated into squad after the club fended off any suitors during the transfer window, Pellegrino is determined to move the group forwards.
Mauricio Pellegrino hopes Southampton's positive start to the season continues
Charlie Austin celebrates with Oriol Romeu after scoring the late winner against West Ham
'It is a really competitive squad. We can always improve and have to be prepared for the future,' Pellegrino said at a press conference.
'We have a squad which is really young, with quality and I think we can give another step this year.
'We had to learn from every single game, to improve in all of the different aspects, the limit of this team we can improve a lot.
'We have to understand how to read some situations, but I am happy with the spirit of the team, to be open-minded, to be humble and to learn.
'In the Premier League, every single team is very tough, in every second you can lose or you can win, so we have to prepare for these moments.'
Pablo Zabaleta bundled over Maya Yoshida to concede the decisive penalty against West Ham
Defender Virgil van Dijk is being reintegrated into the Saints squad after staying put
Like Southampton, who replaced Claude Puel with Pellegrino over the summer, Watford are looking to move in a new direction with Marco Silva now in charge.
The Hornets opened the new season by battling to a 3-3 draw at home against Liverpool and remain unbeaten, although they too failed to progress in the Carabao Cup after a much-changed side went down 3-2 against Bristol City.
Pellegrino has been impressed by the approach of Watford under the Portuguese, who just fell short in keeping Hull up last season.
'They are a really intelligent team, with a good reading of all the different moments,' the Southampton manager said.
Miguel Britos scored a late equaliser as Watford drew 3-3 with Liverpool on the opening day
Brazilian signing Richarlison scored Watford's opener as they won 2-0 at Bournemouth
Miguel Britos will be suspended for the visit to Southampton after this horror challenge on Brighton's Anthony Knockaert
'Watford have dangerous players in attack and big players on the set plays, with really quick players on the counter, so we need to be there 100 per cent to have our chances, but I think we will compete.
'I know that it will be really tough, but we have to try to manage the game in our way. If we can put the ball on the floor and keep possession then I think we will have our chance.'
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