Preview: Watford vs. Cardiff City - prediction, team news, lineups

Watford volition beryllium aiming to marque it successive wins successful the Championship erstwhile they proceed their 2024-25 run with a location fixture against Cardiff City connected Sunday afternoon.

Tom Cleverley's broadside are sixth successful the Championship table, picking up 37 points from their opening 22 matches of the campaign, portion Cardiff are 23rd, with the visitors lone collecting 18 points from their 22 games this term.

Match preview

© Imago

Watford secured each 3 points against Portsmouth connected Boxing Day courtesy of a 95th-minute victor from Rocco Vata, with the 19-year-old handing the Hornets their 11th Championship occurrence of the 2024-25 campaign.

Cleverley's broadside are backmost wrong the playoff spots, collecting 37 points from their 22 matches courtesy of a grounds of 11 wins, 4 draws and 7 defeats, and they are lone 1 constituent down fifth-placed Blackburn Rovers.

Watford's occurrence this play has been built connected fantabulous location form, picking up 29 points from their 11 games, which is the second-best grounds successful the Championship down Leeds United (31).

The Hornets are unbeaten astatine Vicarage Road successful the league this word and person conceded conscionable six times, truthful they volition beryllium the dense favourites to flooded a struggling Cardiff outfit this weekend.

Watford are connected a three-game winless tally against Cardiff, though, suffering 2 defeats successful the process, including a 1-0 reverse erstwhile the 2 teams past locked horns astatine Vicarage Road backmost successful February.

© Imago

Cardiff volition participate the lucifer disconnected the backmost of a 3-2 decision to Oxford United, with the effect stretching the team's winless tally successful the 2nd tier of English shot to 9 matches.

Indeed, the Bluebirds person not secured each 3 points since a 2-1 triumph implicit Norwich City astatine the commencement of November, losing six and drafting 3 of their 9 games since then.

Omer Riza's broadside are 23rd successful the Championship table, picking up lone 18 points from their 22 matches this season, but they are conscionable 2 points down 21st-placed Portsmouth.

Finding the backmost of the nett has been a existent contented for Cardiff this season, lone scoring 21 times successful their 22 matches, which is the joint-worst attacking grounds successful the part alongside Hull City.

Watford Championship form:

Cardiff City Championship form:

Team News

© Imago

Watford volition again beryllium without the services of Kevin Keben and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru for the clash against Cardiff, portion Kwadwo Baah is suspended pursuing his reddish paper aft the last whistle against Portsmouth.

Baah was sent disconnected for taunting the Portsmouth supporters aft his side's precocious win, and helium volition present service a suspension, which is apt to unfastened the doorway for Vata to travel into the XI.

It is simply a comparatively speedy turnaround, but caput manager Cleverley is improbable to shuffle his pack, with Daniel Jebbison erstwhile again expected to pb the enactment for the Hornets, who are chasing promotion this term.

As for Cardiff, Joe Ralls, Kion Etete, Michael Reindorf, David Turnbull, Ryotaro Tsunoda, Perry Ng, Ollie Tanner, Aaron Ramsey and Isaak Davies are each retired of the contention owed to wounded problems.

The visitors did not prime up immoderate caller issues against Oxford, but determination could beryllium a alteration successful the last 3rd of the field, with Callum Robinson perchance coming into the broadside for Chris Willock.

Robinson is the team's starring goalscorer this play with six, and having recovered the backmost of the nett disconnected the seat connected Boxing Day, determination is acceptable to beryllium a spot successful the XI for the 29-year-old against Watford.

Watford imaginable starting lineup:
Bachmann; Porteous, Pollock, Morris; Ngakia, Kayembe, Louza, Larouci; Vata, Jebbison, Chakvetadze

We say: Watford 2-0 Cardiff City

Cardiff are yet to triumph connected their travels this season, and they volition beryllium coming up against the squad with the second-best location grounds successful the Championship during the 2024-25 campaign, truthful we tin lone spot 1 effect connected Sunday afternoon.

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