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

Watford will look to return to winning ways in the Championship when they welcome Portsmouth to Vicarage Road on Wednesday night.

Returning home after being thrashed in the FA Cup, Javi Gracia’s side were beaten 2-0 by Millwall at the weekend, while Pompey edged past bottom-placed Sheffield Wednesday with a narrow 1-0 victory.

Match preview

December and early January saw Watford put together an impressive seven-match unbeaten run to keep their promotion hopes very much on track.

However, a 5–1 loss to Bristol City in the FA Cup and a home defeat against Millwall has halted their momentum, with the Hornets slipping to eighth in the Championship standings.

Despite the recent slips, Watford still boast one of the more impressive home records in the Championship.

Eight wins, four draws and two defeats from 14 games at Vicarage Road have earned them 28 points, the third-best home record in the league.

Should Gracia claim his ninth win since returning as Watford manager, they could enter next weekend in the top six and continue their bid for promotion back to the Premier League.

As for Portsmouth, they have struggled to build on their last season's performances and enter Wednesday's game just one place and one point above the dreaded drop zone.

Saturday’s win came at a vital time, lifting them out of the bottom three and briefly easing fears of dropping into League One.

Overall, John Mousinho's men have won just seven, drawn seven and lost 11 of their 25 Championship outings so far, leaving the Hampshire-based team in 21st place.

However, Pompey do have matches in hand on every other Championship club, offering an opportunity to create breathing space if they can capitalise on their upcoming fixtures.

The pair meet for the second time this season, with the previous game finishing 2-2.

Watford Championship form:

D W W W W L

Watford form (all competitions):

W W W W L L

Portsmouth Championship form:

W D D W L W

Portsmouth form (all competitions):

D D W L L W

Team News

Following back-to-back defeats, Gracia may be tempted to change things up.

Irish forward Rocco Vata remains sidelined for Watford, although he is edging closer to a return.

Expect Tom Ince and Luca Kjerrumgaard to keep their spots in the side with captain Imran Louza continuing to anchor the midfield.

As for the visitors, Portsmouth will once again be without a number of key players.

Florian Bianchini, Josh Knight, Mark Kosznovszky, Callum Lang, Josh Murphy and Harvey Blair are all set to miss out.

Colby Bishop is expected to lead the line again despite a difficult run of form that has seen him score just once in the league.

Watford possible starting lineup:

Selvik; Abankwah, Pollock, Keben, Bola; Maamma, Kyprianou, Louza, Ince; Chakvetadze, Kjerrumgaard

Portsmouth possible starting lineup:

Schmid; Devlin, Shaugnessy, Poole, Swanson; Dozzell, Pack; Segecic, Swift, Chaplin; Bishop

We say: Watford 3-1 Portsmouth

Both sides come into this clash at opposite ends of the table and needing three points for different reasons.

Watford have enjoyed a more consistent run in recent weeks, and we expect them to continue their impressive home form on Wednesday night by cruising to victory.

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