Watford vs Leicester prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2024-02-09 15:00.
Watford have had a disappointing February so far, falling to a 1-0 defeat to Cardiff in the Championship, before exiting the FA Cup in midweek with a dismal 3-0 loss to Southampton. That leaves Valérien Ismaël’s men with just their league duties to fulfil for the rest of the season, where they desperately need to get back to winning ways after slipping to 11th in the table on the back of a three-match winless Championship run (D2, L1).
Despite their poor recent form, the Hornets will be buoyed by the fact that a good run of results should result in a quick ascension, given they’re just four points off the play-off spots. The Vicarage Road faithful will also be crying out for all three points here, after watching their side fail to win any of their last five home league matches (D2, L3).
Beginning a revival against runaway league-leaders Leicester City might be wishful thinking though, especially with the Foxes’ last three matches ending in emphatic 3-0, 3-1, and 5-0 victories across their FA Cup and league endeavours. Leicester’s recent form encapsulates their dominance shown throughout this Championship campaign, where they’ve scored the most goals (64) and conceded the least (23), all resulting in a well-deserved 11-point lead at the summit prior to the weekend.
Their 72-point haul after 30 games has only been bettered once in the Championship’s history, when Reading had accumulated 73 points at this stage in 2005/06. With Leicester also chasing down Reading’s record 106 points of that season, a matchup with Watford offers a great opportunity for them to keep up the pace, having won five of the last six H2Hs (D1), each by a margin of two or more goals.
Players to watch: Matheus Martins was Watford’s last goalscorer, and could be their next since seven of his last nine goals have come at home. A man 16 years his senior could do the damage for Leicester, as Jamie Vardy netted both goals as a substitute in their 2-0 H2H win earlier this season, his ninth and tenth strikes in the last eight matches against Watford. He also scored a brace off the bench against Stoke last weekend.
Hot stat: Eight of Watford’s last ten home matches saw both teams score.