Watford vs Bristol City Prediction: Can Robins steal point from Hornets’ nest?

Having conceded in the final minute to former striker Andre Gray at Plymouth Argyle on Friday night, Watford will be desperate to get back to winning ways as they host Bristol City (19:45, Sky Sports+). The Robins lost 1-0 at home to Burnley last time out as the Clarets ended their good run of form. 

It makes this clash at Vicarage Road a difficult one to assess, but below you will find my Watford vs Bristol City Prediction featuring team news and betting tips for this Tuesday night fixture.

Team News

Tom Cleverley is likely to stick with the majority of the team that came so close to securing all three points at Home Park, with Vakoun Issouf Bayo set to be supported by Giorgi Chakvetadze and Kwadwo Baah.

Edo Kayembe could come back into the side while Mattie Pollock, James Morris and Ryan Porteous are likely to start as the back three once again. Angelo Ogbonna and Tom Dele-Bashiru remain out of action, but Jeremy Ngakia could return to the matchday squad after a period on the sidelines. Moussa Sissoko has established himself as a key figure in this Watford side, even at the age of 35. 

Bristol City meanwhile could rotate after a disappointing result at the weekend. George Earthy and Haydon Roberts didn’t perform at their best last time out, so Cameron Pring is an alternative option on the left-hand side. Yu Hirakawa, Scott Twine and Sinclair Armstrong are also options at the top the pitch if Liam Manning chooses to refresh his front three. 

Nahki Wells, Max Bird and Anis Mehmeti have played a lot of minutes in recent weeks so it wouldn’t surprise me if they are rotated for this tough midweek examination near the capital. Mark Sykes, George Tanner, Joe Williams and Sam Bell all remain on the treatment table so Manning will have to make do with the same squad that lost to Burnley.

Watford vs Bristol City Odds

Watford are priced at 13/10 to win this game, with Bristol City available at 11/5. That gives the home team an implied win probability of 43%, while a draw can be backed at 23/10. Over 2.5 goals is 10/11, BTTS is 8/11 and Bayo is the favourite to score first at 11/2. 

Draw @ 23/10

These two are so well-matched in my eyes. It’s very difficult to back against Watford at home this season, given they have such a stunning record at Vicarage Road, but that is what I am doing here - well, somewhat. The Hornets have won six and drawn one of their home games so far, and no side has picked up more points on home soil. 

However, they have had relatively simple fixtures on home soil to date, and Bristol City boast a decent away record, having secured three wins from eight away from Ashton Gate. I think both of these outfits can attempt to push for a play-off place this season but I’d probably lean towards the Robins to finish higher in the table. On that basis, I’ll back a draw in this one. 

Correct score: Watford 1-1 Bristol City @ 11/2

Both Watford and Bristol City rank in the top half of the BTTS table in the Championship, having seen BTTS come in during 56% of their matches so far this season. There is a decent amount of attacking talent on show here, with Chakvetadze the star of the show in yellow and a combination of Wells, Armstrong and Bird should be able to find the net for the away side. 

Both of these teams like to operate with a back three however and so I think there is a case to be made for them cancelling each other out. I think both teams will find the net in a low-scoring draw at Vicarage Road on Tuesday, so the value for me lies in the 1-1 draw.

Offers

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