Watford and Middlesbrough square off in a midweek Championship fixture with both teams looking to find their rhythm this season. Both sides look evenly matched at the moment and could be set to cancel each other out.
Watford made a good start to the season, claiming two wins and a draw from their opening three matches. However, they appear to have lost their way in recent weeks and are now winless in their last four fixtures across all competitions.
Things appear to be getting worse for Watford who head into Tuesday’s clash with two straight home defeats. First, they were beaten 2-0 by League One side MK Dons in the Carabao Cup before suffering a 3-2 defeat to QPR in their previous Championship fixture.
One positive for Watford is that they have only lost once in the Championship this season and are hovering around the playoff places. However, the problem Robert Edwards’ men have is that they have been held to three draws and failed to hold on to the lead in two of those outings.
Middlesbrough’s campaign appears to be the opposite to Watford’s as they have been slowly recovering from a slow start. Chris Wilder’s men began with two straight defeats in the League and Cup but have now lost just once in their last four matches.
The Seasiders finally claimed their first win of the season with 2-1 victory over Swansea in their previous Championship fixture. They raced to a two-goal lead through Riley McGree and were able to hold on for the win, even though the Swans pulled one back.
Middlesbrough have similar defensive problems to Watford as they have been pegged back a few times this season leading to back-to-back 2-2 draws with Sheffield United and Stoke City.
How the bookies view it
Watford have the edge among the bookies and are priced at 6/4 by Paddy Power to claim the win. A victory for Middlesbrough is valued at 21/10 by Unibet while a draw is set at odds of 23/10 by bet365.
Recent head to head
Watford are unbeaten in the last six matches against Middlesbrough, although three of those fixtures have ended in draws. Both teams battled to a 1-1 scoreline in their most recent meeting back in 2021.
Players to watch
Joao Pedro is attracting attention from Premier League clubs following a string of fine performances for Watford this season. The forward has two goals so far and is priced at 23/10 by Paddy Power to find the net on Tuesday.
With Chuba Akpom still out injured, Duncan Watmore has been leading the line for Middlesbrough in recent weeks. The forward has one goal this season and could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime at 11/4 with Paddy Power.
Anything else catch the eye?
Watford and Middlesbrough have struggled defensively and with both teams scoring in their last meeting, a repeat could be considered at 19/20 with Unibet. Boro’s last outing produced over 2.5 goals which is priced at 5/4 by Unibet while over 3.5 goals is valued at 3/1 by bet365.
Both teams have had a few late goals this season, so the second half could be tipped to produce the most goals at 6/5 with Paddy Power.
This England Championship match between Watford and Middlesbrough will be played on Aug 30, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Watford vs Middlesbrough prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
