Watford vs Stoke prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2023-05-07 14:00.
As the curtain comes down on Watford’s first season back in the Championship, the campaign hasn’t quite lived up to the hype for a side who were one of the pre-season favourites for promotion. Three permanent managers this season have all brought separate ideologies to the club which has somewhat hindered the Hornets as their season has paled out into mid-table insignificance.
The fact Watford are at risk of posting their joint-lowest Championship finish across their last six second-tier seasons (13th) shows just how poor they’ve been this term. Only a victory will be enough to see them have any chance of securing a top-half finish, but considering Watford have won on the final day in just one of their last ten seasons (D2, L7), they look set to end their tumultuous campaign in the bottom-half.
Despite Watford’s plight, things may not be straightforward for Stoke, who have peculiarly lost the last three H2Hs in league action against a Waford side managed by a different boss on each occasion! Already assured of a bottom-half finish, Stoke are simply playing for pride and to avoid a lowest-ever Championship finish having never ended a season lower than their current 16th-place position.
An impressive record on the final day of a league campaign across the last 11 seasons should boost belief that the Potters can evade that feat for another season (W7, D4). A six-match unbeaten away league run (W3, D3) should reinforce that belief and considering Stoke have emerged from Vicarage Road victorious on four of their last five visits, boss Alex Neil ought to be confident of ending the season on a high.
Players to watch: In what could be his last game in a Watford shirt, Ismaïla Sarr will look to sign off in style and will be confident of doing so having netted the game winner in each of his three prior H2Hs against Stoke. Josh Laurent has netted four times in Stoke’s unbeaten away league run, with each strike arriving before half-time.
Hot stat: Stoke have conceded exactly once in six of their last eight away league games.