Leeds vs Watford prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2023-09-22 14:00.
After a rocky start to the Championship season (D1, L1), Leeds United are starting to find their groove in the second tier, as a 0-0 draw at Hull in midweek extended their unbeaten run to five league matches (W2, D3). Boss Daniel Farke described that result as a “good point” after seeing centre-back Joe Rodon sent off on the hour mark, albeit a fourth draw marks Leeds out as the division’s stalemate specialists.
Three of those have come at Elland Road, a venue they’re unbeaten at in 11 Championship matches (W7, D4), while they also won their last home H2H meeting with Watford 1-0 when both were Premier League sides. That was the exception to the rule however, as Leeds failed to win any of the previous five H2Hs on their own turf (D2, L3), a sequence that saw them concede an incredible 16 goals.
A trip to Yorkshire then arguably arrives at a good time for a struggling Watford side, who dropped points in a breathless 2-2 draw with West Brom on Wednesday. Manager Valérien Ismaël called on his side to “stop the mistakes and be more ruthless” in the wake of that result and little wonder, as since a 4-0 thrashing of QPR on the opening day, the Hornets have won just once in the Championship (D3, L2).
Despite their positive record at Elland Road, travel sickness has plagued this Watford squad in 2023, winning just one league road trip this calendar year (D5, L6), with that sole victory coming in their first away assignment of the year! All six of those defeats came ‘to nil’, an alarming trend that Ismaël will need to correct if his side are to mount a serious promotion push, but this is at least a fixture that should inspire the forward line, with Watford scoring at least three times in each of their last three second-tier H2Hs (W3).
Players to watch: New Leeds striker Joël Piroe is already his side’s top scorer with three goals in four appearances – he scored twice in a 4-0 win over Watford while at Swansea last season. Watford have their own hitman to rely on, but Mileta Rajović enjoys a late show, scoring four of his last five club goals beyond the 75th minute.
Hot stat: Leeds boss Farke lost all five managerial H2Hs against Watford as Norwich manager.