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

Watford will be looking to extend their unbeaten run to five matches when they play host to Preston North End in Tuesday’s Championship encounter.

As for the visitors, they will be hoping to return to winning ways after taking a point from their last two matches.

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Match preview

Watford are sitting in 11th spot and two points adrift of the playoffs after winning six, drawing five and losing five of their 16 league matches this season.

The Hornets have put together a four-game unbeaten streak since losing to league leaders Coventry City on October 25. 

Javi Gracia’s side thrashed Middlesbrough 3-0 before they played out consecutive 1-1 draws against Ipswich Town and Bristol City in their final two outings before the international break.

Watford returned to action with a dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Derby County on Saturday, which saw Luca Kjerrumgaard halve the two-goal deficit before Edo Kayembe scored a late three-minute brace to complete the turnaround.

The manner of Watford’s triumph at Pride Park made it the perfect way for the club to claim their first Championship away win since February.

They will now return to the familiar surroundings of Vicarage Road, where they collected 17 points from eight league matches, leaving them with the joint second-best home record in the division. 

 

 

Preston are three points above their hosts in fifth spot after recording seven wins, five draws and four defeats in 16 league matches.

However, PNE have only added a point to their tally since they enjoyed a three-game winning run against Sheffield United, Southampton and Swansea City.

Paul Heckingbottom’s side played out a 1-1 scoreline with Millwall in their final outing before the international window, before they returned to action with a narrow defeat in Friday’s Lancashire derby against Blackburn.

Alfie Devine scored in first-half stoppage time to cancel out Blackburn’s opener, but a second-half effort from Andri Gudjohnsen ultimately condemned PNE to a narrow 2-1 loss. 

While they may have lost at Deepdale on Friday, Preston have proven to be a tough team to beat in recent road trips, having lost just one of their previous five outings (W2, D2).

They will also take confidence from the fact that they recorded a league double over Watford last term, including a 2-1 victory in January’s visit to Vicarage Road.

Watford Championship form:

Preston North End Championship form:

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Team News

 

 

Watford are likely to be without Caleb Wiley, Giorgi Chakvetadze and Jack Grieves due to their respective injury issues.

Forward Kwadwo Baah is unlikely to feature after being forced off in the first half of Saturday's win over Derby. 

Goalkeeper Nathan Baxter will start a second successive game if Egil Selvik is unable to recover from a shoulder issue in time for the home fixture. 

As for the visitors, they will have to cope without the services of Lewis Gibson, Andrija Vukcevic, Robbie Brady, Brad Potts, Ali McCann and Milutin Osmajic.

Captain Ben Whiteman will serve a one-match ban after collecting his fifth yellow card of the Championship season on Friday. 

Everton loanee Harrison Armstrong missed the defeat to Blackburn with a groin problem, making him an obvious doubt for the midweek away trip. 

Watford possible starting lineup:

Baxter; Ngakia, Keben, Pollock, Bola; Kyprianou, Louza, Kayembe; Irankunda, Maama, Kjerrumgaard

Preston North End possible starting lineup:

Iversen; Storey, Lindsay, Hughes; Offiah, Thordarson, Whiteman, Devine, Small; Frokjaer-Jensen, Smith 

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We say: Watford 2-1 Preston North End

Watford have won four of their previous five outings at Vicarage Road, and we believe that the Hornets will draw upon home advantage once again to claim a narrow victory that would see them move level on points with Preston. 

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

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