Championship | Gameweek 21

Dec 15, 2024 at 2pm UK

Vicarage Road

Watfordvs.West Brom

Match preview

After a lacklustre 15th-place finish in the Championship in 2023-24 - the club's lowest finish in over a decade - Watford are currently defying pre-season expectations, with Sunday's hosts at Vicarage Road making a real push for the play-off places.

The Hornets are on a five-match unbeaten run following a trip to the MKM Stadium on Wednesday night, where Rocco Vata's first goal for the Hertfordshire side earned a point against Hull City, who were making their first appearance with former Reading boss Ruben Selles in charge.

Despite an excellent run of just one defeat in their last eight games in the second tier, there are concerns that Watford could be doing even better, with some pundits and fans alike criticising Tom Cleverley's seemingly safety-first approach in recent fixtures.

However, that approach has yielded a respectable haul of nine points from their last five games, and the Hornets enter this weekend's clash within striking distance of the play-off places, just one point behind sixth-placed West Brom.

In contrast to their inconsistent and leaky away form, Watford are enjoying an excellent run of form at home in the Championship, with Cleverley's men unbeaten in nine matches at Vicarage Road so far in 2024-25, picking up 23 points in the process.

After a freakish run of 11 draws in 12 Championship games, West Bromwich Albion secured their seventh win of the campaign on Wednesday night as Midlands neighbours Coventry suffered their first defeat of the Frank Lampard era despite creating the majority of chances at The Hawthorns.

Karlan Grant, a surprise star for the Baggies in the early months of the season, scored his fifth goal of the season against the Sky Blues after Alex Mowatt's deflected effort had opened the scoring in the Black Country, as Albion recorded their biggest win since a 3-0 thrashing of Portsmouth on September 15.

Having lost just two of their opening 20 league games, it is no surprise that West Brom are in the thick of things, but a record-equalling 11 draws have left Carlos Corberan's side hanging on to the play-off places, just one point above seventh-placed Middlesbrough.

Despite Watford's formidable home record, the Baggies should be quietly confident of a positive result at Vicarage Road, having only been beaten once in 10 Championship outings this term, with only Burnley (4) conceding fewer away goals than Albion's nine.

West Brom's Josh Maja is arguably the only man with a chance of stopping Borja Sainz's march towards the second tier's Golden Boot, and the 25-year-old has stepped up admirably following a summer of injuries and departures in the attacking ranks, scoring 10 goals in 20 league appearances so far.

Recent Performance

Watford Championship form:LWDWDD

West Bromwich Albion Championship form:WDDDDW

Team News

Watford are sweating over the fitness of former West Ham United defender Angelo Ogbonna, who could miss much of the festive period with a hamstring problem.

As a result, Francisco Sierralta is expected to retain his place at the heart of the Hornets' back three, with Matthew Pollock and Ryan Porteous on either side of the Chilean.

After taking a conservative approach on Humberside earlier in the week, Cleverley could start the likes of Kwadwo Baah and goalscorer Vata this weekend.

West Brom attacker Grady Diangana remains a doubt with a calf strain that has kept the tricky winger out of the last five Championship matches.

The Baggies, who kept a clean sheet against Coventry on Wednesday night, should stick with a centre-back partnership of Torbjorn Heggem and Mason Holgate.

Possible starting lineup

Watford possible starting lineup:

Bachmann; Porteous, Sierralta, Pollock; Andrews, Louza, Ebosele, Morris; Baah, Chakvetadze, Bayo

West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:

Palmer; Furlong, Holgate, Heggem, Styles; Fellows, Molumby, Mowatt, Johnston; Maja, Grant