Watford host Blackburn Rovers in a Championship fixture on Sunday with both sides aiming to bounce back from defeats last time out. They have made similar starts to the season and as they appear evenly matched at the moment, a share of the spoils could be on the cards.
Watford are coming off a 1-0 defeat to Stoke City in their previous Championship fixture. They had more of the possession and created a few goalscoring opportunities but lacked the cutting edge in attack.
The Hornets’ campaign appears to be going downhill as they are without a win across all competitions since their 4-0 victory over QPR on the opening weekend. Valentin Ismael’s men have also failed to score in their last two Championship matches.
One positive for Watford is that they have remained solid at Vicarage Road. They have lost just two of their last 10 home matches and will be looking for a repeat of the performance in the opening game against QPR.
It has been a similar downhill campaign for Blackburn rovers, who are also winless since beating West Brom on the opening weekend. They suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Hull City in their previous Championship fixture with Sam Gallagher’s effort cancelled out by the visitors.
The slight difference between both teams is that the goals have flowed freely for Blackburn Rovers as a 4-3 League Cup victory is among their results this season. One of the major problems for Jon Dahl Tomasson’s is that they are leaky at the back having conceded in every game so far.
Blackburn Rovers have a good record on their travels as they are unbeaten in eight of their last 10 away matches. However, they have been held six times in that run, including a 2-2 draw at Rotherham United in their previous away fixture.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have installed Watford as favourites with a home win priced at 11/10 with William Hill. A victory for Blackburn Rovers is valued at 11/4 with bet365 while a draw is set at odds of 12/5 by Paddy Power.
Recent Head to Head
Watford have a 6-5 advantage with three draws from 14 previous matches against Blackburn Rovers. The last meeting at Vicarage Road ended in a 1-1 draw.
Players to watch
Vakoun Bayo has two goals across all competitions so far and could be worth keeping an eye on for Watford. The Ivorian striker is priced at 15/8 by Paddy Power to find the net on Sunday.
Sam Gallagher appears to be returning to his best after a spell on the sidelines with injury. The forward was on target last time out and is priced at 10/3 by bet365 to get on the score sheet on Sunday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Watford and Blackburn Rovers have shown some attacking quality this season and both teams can be backed to score at 3/4 with Unibet. Rovers saw over 3.5 goals in their previous away fixture and a repeat is priced at 13/5 with BetVictor while over 2.5 is valued at 10/11 with bet365.
Blackburn Rovers have seen more goals after the break and Sunday’s clash can be tipped to follow a similar pattern at 11/10 with Paddy Power.
This England Championship match between Watford and Blackburn Rovers will be played on Aug 27, 2023 and kick off at 12:00. Check below for our tipsters best Watford vs Blackburn Rovers prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
