WATFORD'S trigger happy board had to bite the bullet with relegation from the Premier League last term but they head into this clash with West Bromwich Albion looking for a second successive win in the Championship.
Having gone through 16 gaffers in the last decade, Rob Edwards is the latest to sit in one of football's hottest seats and will be under pressure to take the Hornets straight back up.
Most of his stars remain at the club, with the likes of Ismaila Sarr, Emmanuel Dennis and Joao Pedro starting last weekend's 1-0 victory over Sheffield United, a game that left our man Mark frustrated after backing the Blades.
Some of those players could leave before the transfer window closes but Edwards looks to have enough talent to mount a promotion push, although this tricky trip to the Hawthorns will give us a better idea of how well equipped they are.
West Bromwich Albion found themselves in the same situation last summer after relegation from the top flight but could only finish a disappointing ninth.
Steve Bruce took over midway through the season after Valerian Ismael departed but couldn't steer the Baggies into a play-off spot. He looks to have recruited well over the summer, though, and West Brom began with a promising 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough.
Now they're back at the Hawthorns and West Brom will be out to show they are capable of mounting a promotion charge by taking down Watford.
How the bookies view it
It's a hard one to call, as most games are in the Championship, but West Brom are 7/5 favourites at SBK with home advantage. Watford's best price is 12/5 with the same firm while the draw pays 9/4 at Betfred.
Recent head to head
Watford have held the edge in this fixture of late, losing just one of the last seven meetings. But they've found West Bromwich Albion a tough nut to crack at the Hawthorns, winning once in their last 10 visits. Armchair fans will be hoping for a repeat of the 2-2 draw (below) when the Hornets last came calling.
Players to watch
Karlan Grant remains the West Brom focal point and the striker will be looking to open his account for the new campaign after netting 18 times last season. He's 21/10 at Unibet for anytime scorer and 11/2 at SkyBet to net first.
I'm surprised nobody in the Premier League has snapped up Sarr after Watford's relegation, although his inconsistency is probably the reason why. On his day, the winger is some talent though and looks overpriced at 3/1 with Unibet for a goal here. The odds increase to 17/2 with Bet365 if you back him to break the deadlock.
Anything else catch the eye?
I'd be surprised if this one was a thriller on the evidence of how well both teams defended on day one. Under 2.5 goals pays just 13/19 at SBK but betting against BTTS is a little better at 37/40 with BetVictor.
Going for the half-time draw is a good option between two evenly-matched sides and that bet pays 21/20 at BetVictor here.
Watford picked up four yellows in their opener while West Brom collected just one. That suggests backing the Hornets for most cards at 13/10 with Bet365 could pay off. Hassane Kamara was one of those booked last weekend and he also amassed four yellows and a red last term after his January arrival from Nice. The stopper is 4/1 at Bet365 for another card here and that looks overpriced.
This England Championship match between West Bromwich Albion and Watford will be played on Aug 8, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best West Bromwich Albion vs Watford prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
