Watford are aiming to maintain their recent good form as they host Millwall on Boxing Day in the English Championship. The visitors have not been at their best lately and should find things difficult at Vicarage Road.
Watford are coming off a 2-0 victory at Huddersfield Town in their previous Championship fixture. They struggled to find their rhythm in a scoreless first half but came to life after the break with Joao Pedro's brace enough to earn them all the points.
That result extends Watford’s unbeaten run to four matches and moves them up to fourth on the table. Widening our gaze further back, Slavan Bilic’s men have only suffered two defeats in their last 10 matches, claiming six wins in that run.
Among the reasons for Watford’s recent good form is a sturdy defence that has kept clean sheets in their last four matches. The Hornets are also holding their own at the other end of the pitch, particularly with Joao Pedro, who has scored four goals in his last four matches.
Millwall have found things difficult lately and travel to Vicarage Road with just one win in their last seven matches. That run has seen them slide down the table and they are now just barely inside the top half with the likes of Swansea, Reading and Sunderland breathing down their neck.
The Lions head into Monday’s clash off the back of a 1-1 draw with Wigan in their previous Championship fixture. They were made to come from behind with Zian Flemming’s effort five minutes before the break earning them a share of the spoils.
Millwall have also struggled on their recent travels with just one win from their last four away matches. Gary Rowett’s men have failed to score three times in that run and were beaten 3-0 by bottom side Huddersfield Town in their previous fixture on the road.
How the bookies view it
Watford have the upper hand among the bookies with a home win priced at 13/12 by SBK. A victory for Millwall is valued at 3/1 by bet365 while SBK is also offering odds of 40/17 for a draw.
Head to head
Watford have a 16-12 advantage with six draws from 34 previous matches against Millwall. The Hornets claimed a 1-0 victory in the last meeting at Vicarage Road back in 2021.
Players to watch
Joao Pedro is the leading scorer for Watford with eight goals this season and will be the one to watch on Monday. The striker is coming off a brace last time out against Huddersfield Town and is priced at 11/4 by bet365 to get in the score sheet.
At the other end of the pitch, centre-back duo Christian Kabasele and Craig Cathcart will be the ones to watch for Watford. They have led the Hornets to clean sheets in their last four matches and that run could be tipped to continue at 7/5 with William Hill.
Anything else catch the eye?
Given Watford’s defensive solidity and with Millwall struggling for goals on their travels, BTTS NO could be on the cards at 7/5 with BetVictor. The Hornets could also be tipped to earn a win to nil at 9/4 with bet365.
While Watford are solid at the back, their attacking quality means a -1 handicap could be considered at 3/1 with Unibet.
This England Championship match between Watford and Millwall will be played on and kick off at 12:00. Check below for our tipsters best Watford vs Millwall prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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