Watford vs Coventry Prediction: Kayembe to strike

Watford take on Coventry City in the EFL Championship on Saturday (15:00), looking to build on their strong start to the campaign. Tom Cleverley's side sit third having collected nine points from 12 on offer so far.

Coventry are yet to find their form in the second tier, with just one win from their first four outings, but they will be hoping that the international break came at the right time for them. Read on for my Watford vs Coventry prediction, featuring match odds and team news.

Watford vs Coventry Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main Watford vs Coventry page on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices on this match.

Watford are 13/8, or a 38.1% chance, to take the three points. Coventry are also valued at 13/8. The draw can be backed at 12/5 (29.4%).

Both teams to score is available at 4/7 and over 2.5 goals is priced at 8/11. Watford midfielder Edo Kayembe has three goals in the Championship so far and he is valued at 11/4 to score anytime, or 8/1 to open the scoring.

Coventry's Haji Wright has found the back of the net on two occasions, and he is marketed at 15/8 to score at any stage during the match.

Football Odds

Team News

Watford striker Vakoun Issouf Bayo will have to carry much of the goalscoring burden this term after last season's top scorer Mileta Rajovic was allowed to join Brondby on loan earlier this month.

After suffering a first loss last time out, Cleverley could opt to freshen up his attacking lineup, with Daniel Jebbison and Ken Sema waiting in the wings for a promotion.

Coventry remain without the services of key player Ben Sheaf, with the midfielder still out with a leg injury that has forced him to miss the start of the season with the Sky Blues.

Watford to win @ 13/8

The Hornets have started the season brilliantly under Cleverley, having won three of their four opening matches. Their first defeat came just before the international break, a narrow 1-0 defeat to Sheffield United, so for the first time this season Watford will be looking to bounce back.

Being back at Vicarage Road should help them out, as well as the opponents themselves in Coventry City. The Sky Blues have had a mixed start to the campaign, and are yet to find a rhythm of consistency in their results. They have four points so far but they are winless in their last two outings.

Supporters will be feeling that this scenario is similar to the start of 2023/24 when they were slow out of the blocks, and you get the feeling that they cannot afford to give themselves too much work to do in the early months of the season if they wish to be promotion contenders.

Right now they are five points behind their hosts, but I think that gap will stretch to eight on Saturday. Watford seem to know precisely what they are doing out on the pitch, while Coventry are still yet to harmonise.

I hold such a high regard for Mark Robins and I consider him one of the best coaches in the Football League, and I trust that he will get the Sky Blues ticking sooner rather than later, but I think this weekend might be a game too soon.

Cleverley has done an amazing job so far and his team will have built up lots of confidence from their first three wins, and I think that will carry them to a fourth in this clash.

Edo Kayembe anytime goalscorer @ 13/5

Kayembe is Watford's leading scorer so far with three, and from midfield, that prolific start is excellent. He is one of the players that Coventry need to be most wary of on Saturday. Two of his tally came on home soil and in the same game when the Hornets cruised to a 3-0 victory past Stoke City.

He will be feeling confident returning to action this weekend and I fancy his chances because the visitors are yet to keep a clean sheet in the league, and he is a huge nuisance to opposition defenders.

Therefore, I think he is worth backing to get on the scoresheet in this fixture.

Offers

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