Watford continue their quest for automatic promotion as they welcome Reading to Vicarage Road for a Friday night English Championship clash. They often do their best work at home and should have too much quality for an out of sorts Reading team.
The Hornets were held to a 1-1 draw by Middlesbrough in their previous Championship fixture. They failed to build on Ismaila Sarr’s opener and conceded the equaliser midway through the second half.
It was the first dropped points in six matches for Xisco Munoz’s men, who remain well on course to finishing in the top two. They hold a healthy 10-point lead over the chasing pack in the race for automatic promotion.
Watford have a stellar home record, winning their last six matches at Vicarage Road. They have maintained a solid defensive record in that run, keeping five clean sheets and triumphing 1-0 over Sheffield Wednesday in their last home fixture.
Reading head to Vicarage Road off the back of a 3-1 victory over Swansea last time out in the Championship. Goals from Michael Olise, George Puscas and Lucas Joao were enough to earn them the win.
It was a much-needed victory for Reading, who had failed to secure a win in their previous four outings. They are barely holding on to the final playoff spot with fast rising Bournemouth just a point behind in seventh.
One of the problems for Veljko Paunovic’s team in recent weeks has been their dodgy away form which has seen them claim just one win from their last five matches. They were beaten 1-0 by bottom side Wycombe Wanderers in that run while also suffering a 2-1 defeat to troubled Birmingham City.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have Watford as favourites here with novibet backing the Hornets at 43/50 to secure the win. Vbet is offering 4/1 for a Reading victory while a draw is set at odds of 13/5 by bet365.
Watford’s form at Vicarage Road gives them the edge and I am leaning towards a home win here.
Head to head
Reading have a slight edge in this fixture with 10 wins from 29 previous matches. Watford have been victorious nine times while there have been 10 draws between both teams.
The Royals triumphed 1-0 in the reverse fixture but Watford generally have the upper hand in recent meetings with three wins from the last four matches. The Hornets ran out 4-1 winners in the last meeting at Vicarage Road.
Players to watch
Winger Ismail Sarr has 10 goals for Watford this season, including two in his last three matches and could be worth a punt to score anytime at 12/5 with bet365. Centre back duo of William Troost-Ekong and Francisco Sierralta have helped the team to five clean sheets in six home matches and a similar outcome is valued at 63/50 by Sporting Index.
Reading will be banking on forward Lucas Joao to help them get past a solid Watford backline. He has 19 goals this season and is priced at 12/5 with bet365 in the anytime goalscorer market.
Anything else catch the eye?
Watford’s solid defensive record at home means a win to nil could be in play at 15/8 with Sporting Index. A -1 handicap bet could also be worth a shot at 5/2 with the same firm.
The Hornets have led at the break in their last five home matches and are priced at 8/5 by William Hill to earn a halftime win. They also have a knack for scoring early goals at home and could be backed to be leading after 15 minutes at 9/2 with William Hill.
This England Championship match between Watford and Reading will be played on Apr 9, 2021 and kick off at 19:45. 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.
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