Watford v Sunderland
17 September 1500hrs
Football – England – Championship
Pick Watford AH-0.25
Bookmaker bet365
Odds: 1.70 odds taken 1350 GMT, Friday 16th September
Saturday afternoon brings us further action from the Championship and features this upcoming clash between Watford and Sunderland at Vicarage Road with both teams searching to make a return to the Premier League with Watford looking to return to winning ways, while Sunderland will be seeking back to back wins in the second tier.
Table of Contents
Watford Preview – Can Hornets find their groove?
Watford have struggled to produce convincing displays so far in this season’s Championship campaign as The Hornets seek a swift return to the Premier League following last season’s heartache of relegation from the top flight.
The hosts have won just a third of their nine games to date with three wins collected against Sheffield United, Burnley and Middlesbrough but they’ve also slipped to two defeats in the shape of losses incurred against QPR and Blackburn Rovers, the latter being a 2-0 defeat away from home at Ewood Park just before last weekend’s postponements.
Watford manager, Rob Edwards, will therefore demanding a positive response from his players this time around at Vicarage Road and The Hornets will be confident that they can secure all three points on Saturday afternoon as Watford have been a tough unit to beat at home so far in this season’s Championship.
Three wins out of their opening four games on home soil will give the hosts a welcome boost and despite losing last time out away from home, at Vicarage Road, Watford have lost just one of their last 13 home games in the second tier, picking up an impressive 12 wins in the process and they’ll be hoping to add Sunderland to that list on the weekend.
In addition, Watford have also kept an impressive total of 10 clean sheets in these last 12 home games whilst also scoring 2 goals or more in eight of these 12 matches, so the hosts look in good shape to set the record straight on home turf this Saturday where they’re unbeaten in their last four meetings against Sunderland.
Sunderland Preview – Can Black Cats nullify Hornets sting?
Sunderland have made a decent fist of things so far upon their return to the Championship as the Black Cats sit in 6th place in the Championship standings having registered four wins within their opening nine games of this new term, and they’ll be looking to consolidate their top six spot with a positive result at Vicarage Road on Saturday afternoon.
Despite slipping to defeats against Sheffield United, Norwich City and Middlesbrough, Sunderland have recorded wins against Bristol City, Stoke City, Rotherham United and Reading to counter these losses and has helped the north-east club into early contention for a possible play-off spot come later in the season.
Even more encouraging is the fact that three of Sunderland’s four wins to date this term have been achieved away from home and they’ll be hoping to extend their promising run of results on the road this Saturday at Watford, although the visitors have failed to beat their hosts in each of their last four visits.
However, they may find Watford a tough team to break down at Vicarage Road as The Hornets have kept numerous clean sheets in their own backyard and having slipped to defeats at Middlesbrough and Sheffield United, Watford’s quality is still very evident at Championship level despite losing a few key players prior to the start of the season.
On the flip side, Sunderland have managed to keep just two clean sheets out of their last 15 outings on their travels and this could be a pivotal statistic in determining the outcome of this upcoming clash on Saturday afternoon.
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Watford v Sunderland
Key Facts – Watford v Sunderland Tip
- Watford have lost just 1 of their last 13 home games in the Championship
- Sunderland have managed to keep just 2 clean sheets out of their last 15 away outings
- Watford are unbeaten in their last four meetings at home against Sunderland
Watford will be keen to return to winning ways when they head back to Vicarage Road and Sunderland will have to put in a decent shift if they’re to walk away with anything in this clash, especially at the back as the Black Cats have found clean sheets hard to come by in the Championship in the past and the north-east side could come a cropper on the weekend if they fail to keep maximum concentration.
The best betting odds for Watford v Sunderland
Watford to win: 2.00 at bet365
Draw: 3.50 at bet365
Sunderland to win: 3.75 at bet365
