Two of the relegated clubs from last season’s Premier League square off as Watford host Norwich City in the English Championship on Saturday.
Watford's desire for an immediate return to topflight football has not gone according to plan so far. They are currently in the bottom half of the table with just four wins from 13 matches this season.
Things do not appear to be getting better as they have claimed just one win from their last five Championship matches. The arrival of manager Slavan Bilic has not sparked a resurgence as the Hornets have lost their last two matches, including a 3-1 defeat at Blackpool last time out.
Watford have also found things difficult at Vicarage Road this season with just one win from their last five home matches across all competitions. They have suffered three defeats in that run and were beaten 2-1 by Swansea City in their previous fixture in front of their fans.
In contrast to Watford, Norwich City’s quest for a swift return to topflight football is going much better. They have claimed seven wins from 13 Championship matches and are second on the table due to an inferior goal difference.
While Norwich City have had a generally solid campaign, they have found things slightly difficult in recent weeks. Dean Smith’s men have claimed just two wins from their last five Championship matches and were beaten 3-2 at home by Preston North End in their previous fixture.
One good thing for Norwich heading into Saturday’s clash is that they have done some of their best work on the road in recent weeks. They have claimed three wins and a draw from their last four away matches.
How the bookies view it
The bookies are split on this one with a Watford victory priced at 24/13 by 10bet while a win for Norwich City is valued at 31/18 by SBK. A draw is set at odds of 9/4 by Unibet.
Head to head
Watford have an 18-16 advantage with seven draws from 41 previous matches with Norwich City. Both teams won away from home in their Premier League meetings last season with the Hornets claiming a 3-1 victory at Carrow Road while the Canaries won 3-0 at Vicarage Road.
Players to watch
Ismaila Sarr could be worth keeping an eye on for Watford having found the net in two of their last three matches. The forward is priced at 3/1 by bet365 to get in the score sheet on Saturday.
Josh Sargent is the leading scorer for Watford in the Championship this season with seven goals in 13 matches. The forward was also on target in the defeat to Preston North End last time out and is priced at 2/1 by bet365 to find the net on Saturday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Watford and Norwich City both saw over 3.5 goals last time out in the Championship and could be set for a repeat at 11/4 with bet365. Over 2.5 goals can also be considered at 21/20 with Coral while both teams could be backed to score at 4/5 with William Hill.
Norwich City have opened the scoring in three of their last five away matches and could be tipped to grab the first goal on Saturday at evens with Paddy Power.
This England Championship match between Watford and Norwich City will be played on Oct 15, 2022 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Watford vs Norwich City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
