Marco Silva has insisted that remaining a Premier League club come the end of the season is still the main target for Watford, despite their strong start to the season.

The Hornets have defied expectations by collecting 15 points from their first nine games, putting them in a Europa League spot with nearly a quarter of the campaign played.

Silva, appointed as Walter Mazzarri's successor during the summer, is refusing to alter his pre-season target of merely remaining outside the bottom three, however, as Watford prepare to take on Stoke City at Vicarage Road on Saturday.

"The position is not the most important. What is important is to compete and try to take points in each game," he told reporters. "This is how we plan the week, each day. And if, after the game, we take the points then we look at the table and the position is better, then great.

"But we don't change one word of our goal. This is clear for everybody: to keep Watford as a Premier League club. I believe we can achieve our goal and do better than the last two seasons. I am happy with how we play, how we compete to take points in every match. We need to prove this every day."

Watford suffered their second league defeat of the campaign last time out, letting slip a 2-1 lead to lose 4-2 away to champions Chelsea.