Having reached the top of the table at the beginning of the year, many expected Derby to stay there and secure promotion to the Premier League. They have stuttered of late, however, and have slipped down to fifth in the table with a four point gap to make up on second placed Watford. I doubt anyone at the club will be panicking just yet but that doesn’t mean they won’t be concerned at their uncharacteristic drop in form which see’s them winless in six games. Steve McLaren’s men narrowly missed out on going up last season after losing to QPR in the play-off final, but such was their quality and potential, they were well fancied to go on better this time around. That may well be the case but they will have to return to winning ways very soon, otherwise they may well even miss out on the play-offs.
Five wins in their last seven games has catapulted Watford into contention for automatic promotion as they look to play top flight football for the first time since 2007. Their only frustration in recent times was their last fixture which they lost at home to Ipswich. They went down 1-0 in that match with the goal coming in the 95th minute. As the race for promotion is so competitive in the Championship, that goal could yet prove the difference in determining which league the Hornets are playing in next season. It was also another loss to one of the top clubs in the division, meaning they have only defeated Brentford out of the current top nine.
Derby have proven to be very strong at home once again. Pride Park – or as it is now known the iPro a Stadium – has been something of a fortress under McLaren arrived at the club. Their home record has seen them win 11 and draw three of 19. However, they come into this game having picked up only one point from their last two at home. The manager will be hoping that his players can respond as they did the last time they lost a home match, as they won four consecutive.
There’s no doubt that Watford’s record against their fellow promotion hopefuls will be a worry for their manager Slavisa Jokanovic. Of course, it will mean very little if they are playing in the Premier League football next season, but to do that they have to face three of the top nine, two of which are away from home. They will be confident of changing that record on Friday, however, as they have won four of their last five away games, scoring an impressive 13 goals.
Every game is significant in the battle for promotion to the Premier League at this stage of the season, but no matter how you dress it up, this game is particularly crucial. Derby’s drop in form has come at just the wrong time and if they were to lose this match then they really would struggle to make up a gap of seven points. It would be a huge boost for Watford if they were able to take all three points but I expect they would be happy enough if they avoided defeat. We all know that Jokanovic’s men are the entertainers in this league and that has been illustrated with their recent form on their travels. Their last five away have featured 21 goals. The iPro is no stranger to goals either, and four of the last there six have had at least three goals. History is also on our side in terms of goals as the last six meetings between the two have all had at least three, too.
Over 2.5 goals 10/11 @ Coral
