Watford vs Wigan prediction: ENGLAND: Championship betting tips on match 2023-03-17 15:00.
Watford reignited their once-fading push for the Championship playoffs last time out with what was just their tenth win from 22 starts as a pre-match favourite (D6, L6) this league season. Securing back-to-back Championship clean sheets at home for the first time in 2023 via their 3-0 victory over Birmingham during the week should give them the confidence to put away another lowly-ranked opposition in quick succession.
The win “looked more like how we wanted to play” according to new manager Chris Wilder, who will be desperate to avoid the heartbreak of finishing seventh for a second straight season after his previous stint at Middlesbrough. Instead, Wilder’s desire could be to repeat his two booming wins over Wigan Athletic when he was Sheffield United boss (4-2 in 2018 and 3-0 in 2019). After Watford’s midweek rampage, it must be considered possible!
Caretaker Wigan manager Shaun Maloney “could not have asked for more” from a playing group that grabbed a point against a Coventry City side who were level with Watford on points going into this round (D 1-1), especially as his players once again were not paid on time. The financial woes continue to thwart any chance of on-field progress with his team mired deep in the relegation zone.
That said, the stalemate with top-half Coventry was within the comforts of home, where all but one of their last seven Championship points have been collected. Away from home, Wigan now have one of the league’s poorest records after three consecutive away defeats in which their players failed to score, therefore, it does appear they could be in for a fourth straight H2H loss here.
Players to watch: Watford have been blessed with stacks of goalscorers at home recently, but could still benefit from João Pedro replicating his match-winner from the reverse H2H. Meanwhile, Ashley Fletcher has found the net in two of Wigan’s last three Championship 1-1 draws.
Hot stat: Just five of the last 22 Championship games involving either club produced more than 2.5 total goals.