Sunderland will be looking to maintain their recent good form as they welcome Watford to the Stadium of Light for a midweek Championship fixture. The Black Cats are looking confident at the moment and should have the upper hand over their visitors, who have found things difficult lately.
Sunderland have enjoyed a solid start to the campaign as they are currently among the early playoff contenders. They are currently fourth on the standings having lost just once in their last even Championship matches.
The Black Cats head into Wednesday’s clash with four wins from their last five Championship matches. They picked up a 3-0 victory at Sheffield Wednesday in their previous fixture with Jack Clarke netting a brace.
A sour spot for Sunderland in their recent good form is a 1-0 defeat to Cardiff City in their last home match. However, having claimed a 5-0 victory over Southampton and a 2-1 win over Rotherham United in their previous fixtures at the Stadium of Light, manager Tim Mowbray will be confident of getting things back on track.
While Sunderland are challenging around the top end of the table, Watford have endured a difficult start to the season. Valentin Ismael’s men are currently struggling in the bottom half of the standings and are just one point above the relegation zone.
While there is still plenty of time to turn things around, Watford’s form this season has not inspired much confidence. They have picked up just one win from their last nine matches across all competitions and head into Wednesday’s clash off the back of two straight defeats.
One of the problems for Watford is a lack of discipline at the back having kept just one clean sheet in their last seven matches across all competitions. That vulnerability has been more evident in their last two matches as they were beaten 3-0 at Leeds United before suffering a 3-2 home defeat to Middlesbrough last Saturday.
How the bookies view it
Sunderland have been installed as overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at evens with bet365. A victory for Watford is valued at 57/20 by 10bet while William Hill is offering odds of 5/2 for a draw.
Head to head
Sunderland have a 9-7 advantage with 10 draws from 26 previous matches against Watford. There was nothing to separate both teams last season as they played out 2-2 draws across both meetings.
Players to watch
Jack Clark has been the standout player for Sunderland this season with seven goals in nine Championship matches. The forward could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime at 5/2 with Paddy Power.
Mileta Rajovic has three goals in six Championship appearances and could be the one to watch for Watford. William Hill is offering odds of 13/5 on the forward to get on the score sheet on Wednesday.
Anything else catch the eye?
The last two meetings between Sunderland and Watford have produced over 3.5 goals which is priced at 21/10 by BetVictor. Over 2.5 goals could also be considered at 4/5 with Unibet while William Hill is offering odds of 7/10 on both teams to score.
Sunderland have scored in both halves in three of their last five matches and Wednesday’s clash could be tipped to follow a similar pattern at 19/10 by Unibet.
This England Championship match between Sunderland and Watford will be played on Oct 4, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Sunderland vs Watford prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
