Preview: Barnet vs Watford - prediction, team news, lineups

Watford continue their pre-season campaign with a trip to The Hive to face Barnet on Tuesday night.

The match has been brought forward 24 hours courtesy of the World Cup semi-final between England and Argentina.

Match preview

Having won less than 40% of his games in four of his last five jobs, Alessio Dionisi has much to do to win over the Watford fanbase after their latest managerial change.

A 2-1 defeat to National League club Boreham Wood - with what was a strong starting lineup - over the weekend was far from the ideal start for the Italian.

While there is still plenty of time for the Hornets to get back on track, Dionisi will want to see improvements in what is scheduled to be the second of four matches before their EFL Cup opener on the second weekend of August.

At this point in the summer, Watford have been surprisingly quiet in the transfer market, with Omar Toure's move from Udinese expected to become their first confirmed addition over the coming days.

Watford will eventually require a replacement for Georgia international Giorgi Chakvetadze, the playmaker who has recently departed Vicarage Road for Udinese, a fellow Pozzo family-owned club.

As far as Barnet are concerned, they have spent the early part of pre-season with away games at non-league teams.

A 2-0 victory over Hitchin Town was followed by a 2-1 triumph at Hemel Hempstead on Saturday.

Despite the level of the opposition, Dean Brennan will be encouraged by the start that has been made when nine signings have linked up with the squad.

After last season's eighth-placed finish in League Two, there is optimism that acquiring players such as Swindon Town centre-back Will Wright and Walsall midfielder Charlie Lakin can add the fourth-tier experience required to take them into the playoffs as a bare minimum.

Barnet form (friendlies):

W W

Watford form (friendlies):

Team News

Mattie Pollock and Mamadou Doumbia both played the full 90 minutes for Watford against Boreham Wood.

Therefore, the centre-back and forward may drop out of the team for this contest, with Travis Akomeah and Zavier Massiah-Edwards potentially being given a chance to impress after substitute outings at the weekend.

Imran Louza could feature on the substitutes' bench after a later return to pre-season than some of his teammates, while Kwadwo Baah missed the Boreham Wood game as a precaution and will be assessed before this match.

Four trialists started for Barnet at the weekend and it remains to be seen whether that trend will continue here.

Goalkeeper Taye Ashby-Hammond could start, while Lakin and Kabongo Tshimanga may also come into the first XI.

Barnet possible starting lineup:

Ashby-Hammond; Liwala, Wright, Richards, Matejko, Lakin, Talwar, Siaw, Knowles, Tshimanga, Maskell

Watford possible starting lineup:

Bachmann; Petris, Keben, Akomeah, Bola; Bove, Kyprianou, Maamma, Nabizada; Massiah-Edwards, Kjerrumgaard

We say: Barnet 1-3 Watford

Despite defeat in their opening friendly, we feel that Watford can only improve, particularly against lower-level opposition. With that in mind, we are backing the Hornets to come through in relatively-comfortable fashion.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.