MX23RW : Tuesday, March 19 07:41:51| >> :120:33670:33670:
[monks data]
Bournemouth logo
Championship | Gameweek 33
Feb 27, 2021 at 12.30pm UK
Vitality Stadium
Watford logo
Bournemouth
1 - 0
Watford
Danjuma (62')
Cook (47'), Wilshere (90+4'), Lerma (90+5')
Wilshere (90+9')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Masina (34'), Hughes (49'), Chalobah (60'), Pedro (90+5'), (90+9')
Pedro (90+7')

Preview: Bournemouth vs. Watford - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Championship clash between Bournemouth and Watford, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Watford will be aiming to maintain the pressure on second-placed Brentford when they travel to Bournemouth in the Championship on Saturday.

The Hornets are third, only behind the Bees on goal difference, while the Cherries have slipped out of the top six and now sit seventh.


Match preview

Will Hughes celebrates scoring for Watford against Derby County in the Championship on February 19, 2021© Reuters

Both teams were relegated from the Premier League last season and have aspirations to go straight back up.

Inconsistency appeared to be costing Watford a shot at automatic promotion, but they are currently on a run of four successive victories – their longest winning streak of the campaign.

Although fourth-placed Swansea City, who have two games in hand, are in the driving seat for second spot behind Norwich City, Xisco Munoz's side have made a statement of intent over the last couple of weeks.

The team's latest victory came on Wednesday night as goals from Joao Pedro, Ismaila Sarr and Ken Sema secured a 3-2 triumph over Blackburn Rovers, but Munoz has urged his team to kill games off earlier.

It was only a fifth away win over the season for Watford, who have conceded the fewest goals on the road in the Championship (11) but also scored the third fewest (11).

Bournemouth manager Jonathan Woodgate pictured on February 20, 2021© Reuters

If the Hornets are thriving under the pressure then Bournemouth are possibly crumbling as they lost 2-1 on Wednesday in a crucial fixture against Cardiff City.

The result allowed the Bluebirds to leapfrog the Cherries in the table on goals scored, and the South Coast side are outside of the top six for the first time all season.

It was not the start to life as permanent manager that Jonathan Woodgate would have wanted, and Bournemouth have now lost two games in a row after being unbeaten in the former England defender's first four matches as caretaker boss.

The Cherries have only lost four games at the Vitality Stadium this season but three of those defeats have come since the start of 2021.

Chris Mepham scored a 95th-minute equaliser to earn a 1-1 draw for Bournemouth against Watford earlier this season, and it continued a recent trend in this fixture, with 10 of the last 14 games between the two sides finishing level.

Bournemouth Championship form: LWDWLL
Bournemouth form (all competitions): WWDWLL

Watford Championship form: LDWWWW


Team News

Watford manager Xisco Munoz pictured in February 2021© Reuters

Woodgate is likely to make changes after a second successive defeat, with Jack Wilshere and Shane Long front of the queue for a starting spot after being named on the bench against Cardiff.

Dominic Solanke is nearing a return from his ankle injury which has kept him out since the beginning of the month, but Woodgate has confirmed that David Brooks is set to be sidelined for four to five weeks with an ankle problem of his own.

Xisco revealed that Nathaniel Chalobah played through illness against Derby last weekend so the midfielder was rested on Wednesday, but he could feature at the Vitality Stadium, denying Dan Gosling a reunion with his former club, who he left in January after six and a half years.

Chalobah's return could be the only change that the Hornets make, with Munoz's 4-3-3 system proving successful since the switch in formation two weeks ago.

Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Begovic; Carter-Vickers, S. Cook, Kelly; Smith, L. Cook, Lerma, Stanislas; Wilshere, Billing; Long

Watford possible starting lineup:
Bachmann; Femenia, Troost-Ekong, Sierralta, Masina; Cleverley, Chalobah, Hughes; Sarr, Pedro, Sema


SM words green background

We say: Bournemouth 1-2 Watford

Watford are certainly the side with the momentum, but Bournemouth will be looking for a reaction to their latest two defeats, and it could be a tight game; we fancy the Hornets to take all three points, though, as their assault on the top two continues.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a home win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home Win:data


ID:436708: cacheID:436708:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:8997:

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Watford win with a probability of 39.16%. A win for Bournemouth had a probability of 33.55% and a draw had a probability of 27.3%.

The most likely scoreline for a Watford win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.08%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.29%) and 0-2 (7.11%). The likeliest Bournemouth win was 1-0 (10.08%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.92%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 10.1% likelihood.


Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Queens Park Rangers QPR manager Mark Warburton pictured in December 2020
Read Next:
Mark Warburton hails "tremendous" Charlie Austin after comeback win at Watford
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014

Subscribe to our newsletter


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!