It is a battle of two underperforming sides as Norwich City host Watford in a Championship fixture on Monday. One of the problems for both teams is a lack of discipline at the back which means there are likely to be goals at Carrow Road.
Norwich are struggling to return to their best form having claimed just one win in their last five matches. They have now slipped out of the playoff places and are still without a permanent manager following the sacking of Dean Smith.
The post-Smith era has not started on a high, although Norwich City did snap a run of defeats last time out as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Reading in their previous Championship fixture. They failed to build on Adam Idah’s second half opener and were pegged back seven minutes from time.
The manner of the draw with Reading highlights one of the major problems for Norwich City this season as they have kept just one clean sheet in their last six matches. They have also found things difficult at Carrow Road, claiming just one win from their last eight home matches.
Watford have also found things difficult lately as they head to Carrow Road off the back of two straight defeats. First, they were beaten 2-0 at home by Millwall before suffering a 4-0 defeat at Swansea in their previous fixture.
The good news is that Watford are still in the mix for the playoffs as they sit fifth on the table, just one point above Norwich. However, both results highlight a recent defensive problem as they have now conceded six goals in their last two matches.
The outcome of the last two matches will be particularly disappointing to manager Slaven Bilic as they had only suffered one defeat in the previous eight. They had also been on a four-match unbeaten run on their travels prior to the defeat at Swansea and the gaffer will be keen to get things back on track.
How the bookies view
Despite their struggles, Norwich City are still considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 19/20 with Betfred. Watford are considered outsiders at 3/1 with Paddy Power while a draw is set at odds of 13/5 by bet365.
Head to head
Watford have a 19-16 advantage with seven draws from 42 previous matches against Norwich City. The Hornets have also won six of the last seen meetings and claimed a 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture back in October.
Players to watch
Teemu Pukki was not on target last time out but having had a hand on Idah’s goal, could be worth keeping an eye on. The striker has eight Championship goals this season and is priced at 9/5 by 10bet to get on the score sheet on Monday.
Joao Pedro is looking to add to his eight Championship goals this season and will be the one to watch for Watford. The striker netted a brace in his previous outing on the road and is priced at 12/5 by 10bet to score anytime on Monday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Watford have a good record in this fixture and prior to the defeat at Swansea City, had been on a good run away from home. A double chance for the Hornets could be considered at 9/10 with 10bet.
There have been second half goals for both teams in Norwich City’s last two matches and Monday’s clash could be tipped to follow a similar pattern at 9/4 with Paddy Power. Watford have opened the scoring in the last five meetings and could be backed to score first on Monday at 8/5 with bet365.
This England Championship match between Norwich City and Watford will be played on Jan 2, 2023 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Norwich City vs Watford prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
