Watford and QPR will be looking to put their disappointing 2022-23 campaigns behind them as they begin the new season at Vicarage Road. The Hoops have dominated this fixture in recent times and with Watford seemingly weakened in the transfer window, the visitors will be confident of avoiding defeat on the opening weekend.
It was a disappointing campaign for Watford last season as they could only manage an 11th placed finish. They somehow appear weaker coming into the new season especially after losing the duo of Ismaila Sarr and Joao Pedro in the transfer window.
Watford’s performances in preseason have not particularly swayed the minds of doubters as they failed to win any of their two matches. Valentin Ismael’s men were held to a 0-0 draw by National League side Boreham Wood before suffering a 2-1 defeat to Premier League outfit Crystal Palace.
The poor preseason showing was an extension of Watford’s erratic form towards the end of last season. They won only two of their last nine matches, although one of those victories was a 2-0 home triumph over Stoke City in their final fixture of the campaign.
QPR had an even worse campaign than Watford last term as they barely escaped the drop, finishing 20th on the standings. They have not lost any key players in in the transfer window and even appear to have strengthened, particularly in defence which was a major problem last term.
The Hoops were erratic in preseason, claiming two wins and a draw from five warm up matches. Gareth Ainsworth’s men head into the season opener off the back of a disappointing 5-0 defeat to League One side Oxford United in their final warm-up match.
QPR may have struggled last season but they went on a run of positive results in the final weeks to beat the drop. They were particularly impressive on their travels and ended the campaign with two straight away wins, beating champions Burnley 2-1 before edging out Stoke City 1-0.
How the bookies view it
Watford have the upper hand among the bookies with a home won priced at 19/20 by Betfred. A victory for QPR is valued at 16/5 by Paddy Power while a draw is set at odds of 13/5 by Unibet.
Recent head to head
QPR have dominated this fixture in recent times, winning the last three meetings. Even in the midst of their struggles last season, they still did the double over the Hornets with the clash at Vicarage Road ending in a 3-2 victory.
Players to watch
Following the departures of Ismaila Sarr and Joao Pedro, Watford will look to young Brazilian Matheus Martins to provide the spark in attack. The forward impressed at the recent FIFA U-20 World Cup and could be worth keeping an eye on at 13/5 by bet365.
Unlike Watford, QPR managed to hold on to their key players, particularly top scorer Lyndon Dykes, who is expected to lead the line once again. The striker was pivotal in the final weeks of last season and is priced at 10/3 by bet365 to find the net on Saturday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Defending is not one of the strengths of both teams and having produced a five-goal thriller in the last meeting at Vicarage Road, another high scoring encounter could be on the cards. Over 3.5 goals is valued at 13/5 by BetVictor, over 2.5 goals is priced at evens with bet365 while Unibet is offering odds of 4/5 on both teams to score.
Given QPR’s recent record in this fixture, a double chance could be a safe bet at 17/20 by William Hill. The Hoops opened the scoring in the last two meetings and can be tipped to grab the first goal on Saturday at 13/8 with Paddy Power.
This England Championship match between Watford and QPR will be played on Aug 5, 2023 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Watford vs QPR prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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