Watford are aiming to continue their rise up the table as they host Reading in a midweek Championship fixture. The Hornets appear to have overcome their recent problems and should have too much for an out of sorts Reading side.
Watford are coming off a disappointing 1-0 home defeat to Coventry City in their previous Championship fixture. They had more of the possession but were wasteful in front of goal with Ismaila Sarr missing a number of good chances.
The defeat was a dent to seventh placed Watford's recent good form having won their previous three matches. Manager Slavan Bilic will be keen to make a swift return to winning ways as they look to continue their push for a playoff spot.
Watford head into Tuesday’s clash with plenty of confidence having claimed two straight home wins prior to that defeat at Coventry City. However, they remain suspect at the back with just one clean sheet in their last eight matches at Vicarage Road.
Reading travel to Vicarage Road in the middle of a rough patch having claimed just one win from their last eight matches. They have suffered five defeats in that run and have slipped into the bottom half of the table.
The Royals suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Preston North End in their previous Championship fixture. They fell behind but were unable to build on Lucas Joao’s equaliser from the spot midway through the second half, conceding the winner 11 minutes from time.
Reading have also struggled on their travels and are winless in their last four away matches. Paul Ince’s men have suffered three defeats in that run, although they held out for a 0-0 draw with Luton 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 11/13 by SBK. A victory for Reading is valued at 4/1 by Unibet, who are also offering odds of 13/5 for a draw.
Recent head to head
Watford have the upper hand in recent matches against Reading, with four wins from the last five fixtures. The Hornets also claimed a 2-0 victory in the last meeting with Reading back in 2021.
Players to watch
Ismailar Sarr will be looking to make amends after missing several chances last time out against Coventry City. The forward is the top scorer for Watford this season with six goals and having netted a brace in the last meeting with Reading, could be backed to find the net on Tuesday at 7/5 with BetVictor.
Reading have also shown some attacking quality of their own particularly with Lucas Joao, who has four goals this season. The striker was on target last time out against Preston North End and is priced at 14/5 by BetVictor to get on the score sheet on Tuesday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams have shown little defensive solidity in recent weeks and could be backed to score at 17/20 with William Hill. There have been over 3.5 goals in four of Watford’s last five home matches and a repeat is valued at 13/5 with BetVictor while over 2.5 goals is set at evens with bet365.
There were more goals after the break in Reading’s last home fixture and Tuesday’s clash could be tipped to follow a similar pattern at 21/20 with bet365.
This England Championship match between Watford and Reading will be played on Nov 8, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Watford vs Reading prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
