Sheffield Wed vs Watford prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2024-01-30 19:45.
Having spent a weekend away from the rigours of their relegation battle, Sheffield Wednesday return to league action with work to do if they are to preserve their Championship status for 2024/25. The Owls were focusing on the FA Cup on Saturday as they drew 1-1 against Coventry City, before seeing the gap between themselves and safety stretch to six points thanks to Huddersfield Town’s draw at Queens Park Rangers.
If Danny Röhl’s men are to secure survival, their home form is likely to be crucial. Wednesday have picked up three wins in their last five league matches at Hillsborough (L2), where they have also accumulated 15 of their 22 points. The team must improve in attack though, as they remain the division’s lowest scorers with just 22 goals so far this season.
That will be music to the ears of upcoming opponents Watford, who have not kept a clean sheet in their last 14 outings across all competitions following a 1-1 FA Cup draw with Southampton at the weekend! That leaky defence is hindering the Hornets’ promotion quest, as they have picked up just one victory in their last five league encounters (D3, L1), with those three draws coming despite opening the scoring on each occasion.
However, Valérien Ismaël’s side are proving a tough proposition on the road, with their six-game unbeaten run away from home (W4, D2) their joint-longest without losing since a ten-match streak in 2015. And they should be confident of continuing that form at a ground where they have won on three of their last four visits (D1), letting in just two goals in the process.
Players to watch: Sheffield Wednesday captain Barry Bannan is searching for his first H2H victory since 2010 (D2, L3). Meanwhile, it may not be such a good thing if Emmanuel Dennis nets his first Watford goal on his return to the club, given that he has lost six of the last eight fixtures in England in which he has scored (W1, D1), with five of those efforts serving as the first of the game!
Hot stat: Sheffield Wednesday have conceded first in 17 of their league matches this term – a joint-high for the division.