Watford vs Preston North End Prediction: Home form points to the Hornets

Watford’s play-off push continues on Tuesday night as they welcome Preston North End to Vicarage Road (19:45, Sky Sports+), having ended their run of four games without a win with a victory over Derby County last time out. Preston drew 0-0 with Matt Bloomfield’s Luton Town at the weekend and will look to build on that away point. 

Below you can find my Watford vs Preston North End prediction featuring team news, betting tips and more. 

Team News

Tom Cleverley eased the worries of Watford fans in his pre-match press conference and there was a positive update on star man Giorgi Chakvetadze. He missed the win over Derby on Saturday with a hamstring issue, but the head coach confirmed he should be back in the squad for this one. 

"Giorgi's scan was really positive and it's highly likely that he'll be back in the frame for tomorrow evening," he said.

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Jonathan Bond was an injury concern at the end of the game at Pride Park, but the 31-year-old took part in training on Monday and should play, with first-choice keeper Daniel Bachmann currently out for the majority of the season. "We have no fresh injury concerns," Cleverley added, which means we could see a similar line-up, with Moussa Sissoko likely to come back into midfield in place of Tom Dele-Bashiru, after he was withdrawn on his return from injury at the break after a disappointing first-half showing at Pride Park. 

Elsewhere, Matthew Pollock has been a standout performer this season and will continue at centre-back, while Yasser Larouci could replace Jeremy Ngakia at left-back.

For the visitors, Robbie Brady is likely to have to settle for a place on the bench once again, although he will be hopeful of some minutes having been an unused substitute at the weekend. PNE will be without the influential midfielder Ben Whiteman though, as he serves the second game of a two-match ban having picked up 10 yellows this season - the most of any Championship player. 

Brad Potts has been out for the last five matches with a knee issue sustained on Boxing Day, and he hadn’t trained ahead of the weekend, so is also likely to miss out on the squad here. A weekend return is more likely for Potts. A clean sheet is likely to mean the back five all keep their places, but changes could come up front as Will Keane and Milutin Osmajic both started and were withdrawn in the second half. Emil Riis Jakobsen and Mads Frokjaer-Jensen could provide alternative options in the attacking third. 

Watford vs Preston North End Odds

Watford are priced up at 21/20 to win this game, giving them an implied win probability of 48% heading into this one. They’ve picked up 29 points from 13 home games so are rightfully the favourites, while PNE can be backed at 12/5 to gain their second away win of the campaign. 

A draw is available at 21/10, while over 2.5 goals comes in at 11/10 which feels generous given Watford have the second-highest success rate for that particular statistic in the division. BTTS is 5/6 while Vakoun Issouf Bayo is 5/1 to open the scoring. 

Watford to win @ 21/20

It’s obvious, but I’m going to side with Watford to continue their strong home form in this one. I love what Cleverley has done at Vicarage Road, and they have exceeded all expectations this term. I’m not convinced that they will secure a top-six finish come May, but a top-half finish is certainly within their reach and their home form will be crucial to achieving that. 

Preston’s away record is atrocious, having picked up nine points, and just one win, on the road this term. Combine that with a Watford outfit that has won nine of 13 at the Vic and boast the fourth-best home record in the division, and it all points to one thing. I’ll back them to secure another win in front of their own fans on Tuesday night. 

Rocco Vata to score anytime @ 5/2

One of the emerging players in the Championship, I’m really excited about Rocco Vata’s future. The former Celtic youngster has managed to find his way into the Watford team of late, and his qualities are obvious. A wonderful dribbler and full of running, I think it won’t be long until he starts to score on a regular basis. He is also more likely to start given Chakvetadze may be used as a substitute following his injury, and although Bako is the biggest threat for Watford, I think Vata could offer great value. 

Vata has two goals and three assists this season, but he’s only played more than 45 minutes on five occasions this term - so with more minutes, those numbers could sky-rocket. I think he is good value to find the net, even up against a stubborn Preston defence.

Offers

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