Stoke City host Watford in a Championship fixture on Sunday with both teams looking to get some consistency in their campaign. Separated by just two points, both teams look evenly matched heading into this one.
It has been a difficult start to the season for Stoke City, who are still struggling to find their rhythm. They have claimed just three wins from 10 matches so far and are currently in the bottom half of the table.
The Potters were showing signs of improvement prior to the international break and are unbeaten in their last two matches. Alex Neil’s men claimed a 3-0 victory at Hull City before playing out a 0-0 draw in their previous Championship fixture.
One problem that persists for Stoke City is their unconvincing home form which has seen them claim just one win from four matches at the Bet365 Stadium. They have played out two draws in that run, including a 1-1 scoreline with Swansea City in their previous outing in front of their fans.
Watford’s plans for an immediate return to the Premier League has not started on a positive note as they are also struggling to find their best form at the moment. Like Stoke City, they have also claimed three wins this season but are currently inside the top half, just two points above the hosts.
Things are slowly getting worse for Watford, who have won just once in their last five matches. Like clockwork that poor form has forced yet another managerial change at Vicarage Road with Slavan Bilic replacing Rob Edwards as boss.
Watford head into Sunday’s clash off the back of a 2-2 draw with Sunderland. That result highlights a major problem for the Hornets, who have been held five times this season, four of which have come on their travels.
How the bookies view it
Stoke City have the edge among the bookies with a home win priced at 14/9 by SBK. A victory for Watford is valued at 39/19 by SBK while a draw is set at odds of 9/4 by bet365.
Head to head
Stoke City have a 14-13 advantage with four draws from 31 previous matches against Watford. Both teams have claimed two wins each and a draw from their last five meetings with the Hornets earning a 2-1 victory on their last visit to the Bet365 Stadium back in 2021.
Players to watch
Lewis Baker often carries a major goal threat from midfield and is the top scorer for Stoke City with four goals this season. He could be worth keeping an eye on and is priced at 9/2 by William Hill to find the net on Sunday.
Watford have multiple attacking threats and often spread their goals across the team, with Ismaila Sarr and Joao Pedro scoring twice each. Bet365 had Pedro at 7/2 to score anytime while also offering 7/2 on Sarr in the same market.
Anything else catch the eye?
Stoke City and Watford have not been convincing at the back and with both teams scoring in their last three fixtures, a repeat could be considered at 10/11 with William Hill. There were over 3.5 goals in the previous meeting and a repeat is priced at 16/5 with Unibet while over 2.5 goals is valued at 6/5 with bet365.
There have been more goals after the break in the last three meetings so the second half could be tipped as the highest scoring half at 6/5 with Paddy Power.
This England Championship match between Stoke City and Watford will be played on Oct 2, 2022 and kick off at 12:00. Check below for our tipsters best Stoke City vs Watford prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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