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Watford logo
Championship | Gameweek 14
Nov 28, 2020 at 3pm UK
Vicarage Road
Preston North End logo

Watford
4 - 1
Preston

Quina (9'), Deeney (52' pen.), Chalobah (58'), Pedro (74')
Garner (23')
FT(HT: 1-0)

Preview: Watford vs. Preston North End - prediction, team news, lineups

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

Watford welcome Preston North End to Vicarage Road on Saturday afternoon looking to extend their Championship unbeaten streak to five matches.

Meanwhile, the visitors make the trip to Hertfordshire sitting in 15th position after losing four of their last half-a-dozen fixtures.


Match preview

Watford manager Vladimir Ivic pictured in November 2020© Reuters

Given the quality which he has at his disposal, Watford boss Vladimir Ivic has come in for criticism for the level of performances produced by his squad this season.

However, helped by a recent four-match unbeaten streak, Watford still sit in fifth place, a position which most fans would have taken after the upheaval earlier this year.

Ivic will naturally want to see more goals from his team over the coming weeks, but there could be few complaints with a hard-earned point coming from a goalless draw at Bristol City.

Watford managed to shut out a team which had won their previous three matches, and it was a further sign that the Serbian is prepared to put results over style in order to gain promotion.

That said, Watford return to action at their home ground having recorded consecutive 3-2 victories over Stoke City and Coventry City, leaving fans to anticipate a similar attack-minded showing at the weekend.

Preston supporters will be of the same opinion with their 3-0 win at then-leaders Reading being followed by below-par showings in their following three matches.

While that run included a 1-0 success over lowly Sheffield Wednesday, Alex Neil's side continue to struggle for consistency on the back of eye-catching results.

That has left Preston an equal distance between the playoffs and the relegation zone, increasing concern that a season in mid-table obscurity is on the horizon.

On a positive side, their current standing gives Neil some freedom to throw caution to the wind on Saturday, and Watford will be wary that Preston have scored almost half of their goals this season at Reading and Brentford.

Watford Championship form: DLWWDD

Preston North End Championship form: LLWLWL


Team News

Watford's Troy Deeney applauds fans as he celebrates at the end of the match on February 29, 2020© Reuters

Despite his recent appearances from the substitutes' bench, Troy Deeney is unlikely to be recalled to the starting lineup.

Barring any late fitness issues, Ivic could go with the same XI which started the fixture at Ashton Gate.

Preston boss Neil will be forced into at least one alteration after Joe Rafferty was red carded during the defeat against Blackburn.

With Alan Browne also serving a ban and Darnell Fisher facing the prospect of retrospective punishment, youngster Lewis Coulton could feature at left-back.

Tom Bayliss may make his first start of the season in centre midfield, while Jayden Stockley should return in attack at the expense of Emil Riis Jakobsen.

Watford possible starting lineup:
Foster; Ngakia, Kabasele, Cathcart, Femenia; Sarr, Chalobah, Garner, Quina; Gray, Pedro

Preston North End possible starting lineup:
Rudd; Storey, Bauer, Huntington, Coulton; Ledson, Bayliss; Barkhuizen, Johnson, Sinclair; Stockley


SM words green background

We say: Watford 2-1 Preston North End

After recording two low-scoring draws on the road, Ivic will show greater attacking urgency in this contest. While little may separate the teams during the opening hour, we are backing Watford's extra quality to shine through during the latter stages.


Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals 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.Under 3.5:data



ID:423780:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect6560:
Written by
Darren Plant

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 40.28%. A win for Preston North End had a probability of 32.75% and a draw had a probability of 27%.

The most likely scoreline for a Watford win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.98%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.47%) and 2-0 (7.27%). The likeliest Preston North End win was 0-1 (9.68%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.8%). The actual scoreline of 4-1 was predicted with a 1.2% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Watford would win this match.


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Game History

Who will win Saturday's Championship clash between Watford and Preston?

Watford
69.7%
Draw
21.2%
Preston North End
9.1%
99
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