Plymouth Argyle picked up a bit of form ahead of the international break and will be looking to make it three games unbeaten when Watford come calling in the EFL Championship.
Wayne Rooney has brought a bit of stardust to the south coast but his reign was in danger of losing its sparkle when Plymouth picked up just four points from a six-game run that started in October.
But Argyle claimed a crucial 1-0 win over fellow strugglers Portsmouth in their last home game then followed it up by putting another point on the board at Derby last time out.
That has left Rooney's side sitting 18th but there's no margin for error as they sit just one point clear of the drop zone in a congested bottom half of the table.
Watford find themselves in the upper reaches and sit fifth after a promising start to the season under Tom Cleverley, a former Manchester United team-mate of Rooney.
They beat Oxford United 1-0 in their last outing, with a scorer bet landing for me, and that made it three wins from their last four matches. So Cleverley will be looking to keep their promotion push on track by claiming another victory at Home Park.
How the bookies view it: Hornets to end road sickness
Plymouth have been strong at home all season while Watford have struggled on the road, losing seven of their nine away games. So I'm a little surprised to see the Hornets as Betano's 6/5, with Rooney's side 15/8 outsiders. The draw could be the smart move here and it pays 5/2.
Recent head to head: Daggers drawn last term
These sides faced off in the EFL Cup earlier in the season and it was Watford who progressed with a 2-0 win at Vicarage Road. But it was close last season and both Championship meetings ended in draws, including a 3-3 thriller at Home Park.
The Hornets have gone five unbeaten in this fixture since losing 2-1 on the south coast in 2009.
Players to watch: Whittaker a creative spark
Rooney has been chopping and changing his strikers so it's best going for playmaker Morgan Whittaker to do a bit of damage. He's 12/5 with Betano for anytime scorer but it might be wiser backing him for an assist when that market is priced up.
Vakoun Bayo delivered when I tipped him to score in Watford's last match and that strike should keep him in the team. The Ivorian striker is 17/10 at Betano to take his tally for the season to seven.
Probable line-ups
Lewis Gibson still isn't ready to return for Plymouth, who have Joe Edwards, Ben Galloway and Conor Hazard out injured too.
Festy Ebosele and Moussa Sissoko are both suspended for Watford, who are also missing Jeremy Ngakia, Angelo Ogbonna and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru.
Plymouth Argyle: Grimshaw, Mumba, Pleguezuelo, Szucs, Sorinola, Houghton, Whittaker, Gyabi, Al Hajj, Issaka, Gray.
Watford: Bachmann, Porteous, Pollock, Morris, Louza, Dwomoh, Kayembe, Andrews, Chakvetadze, Bayo, Baah.
Anything else catch the eye?
Both these sides have been involved in cagey games of late, with Watford's last two games ending in 1-0 scorelines and under 2.5 goals also coming up in Plymouth's last two. That makes me think this one could be tight, with under 2.5 goals priced at a tempting 23/20 by Betano.
Watford's games have been fiery recently too, with at least five cards flashed in each of their last four. The same stat applies to Plymouth's last two games so there could be some value in going for over 42.5 booking points, which pays a tempting 5/4 at Betfred.
This England Championship match between Plymouth Argyle and Watford will be played on Nov 22, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Plymouth Argyle vs Watford prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
