AFC Bournemouth go into the contest having lost eight of their last 10 PL matches while Watford have lost only one of their last five.
Team news
For AFC Bournemouth Simon Francis and Lewis Cook (both ACL) are sidelined along with Adam Smith and Ryan Gosling (both knee).
Nathan Ake is a doubt after coming off with a hamstring injury against Manchester United.
Watford have striker Andre Gray (leg) out, while Sebastian Prodl (knee) and Christian Kabasele (shoulder) are doubtful.
Did you know?
AFC Bournemouth are looking to start a year with a win for the first time since 2012, which was the last time Watford did not lose their opening fixture of a calendar year.
Five of the seven previous Premier League meetings between these two have been drawn, with both sides winning once each.
Victory for Watford would mean they have 46 PL points from 35 matches under Javier Gracia, the most for a Hornets manager, overtaking Quique Sanchez Flores's 45 points from 38 fixtures.
Watford are looking to win consecutive away league matches for the first time since winning their opening three on the road in 2017/18.
Match officials
Referee: David Coote
Assistants: Simon Bennett, Marc Perry
Fourth official: Graham Scott
