Javi Gracia has brought life to a previously stagnant Watford and the Hornets can propel themselves to within touching distance of the playoffs with a win over Bristol City tonight.
Many were sceptical about Gracia's return to Vicarage Road but a change in the setup has seen Watford head into this Friday night clash on the back of a 1-1 draw at Portman Road against Championship promotion favourites Ipswich Town to make it one defeat in his first four games in charge.
Bristol City, who reached the playoffs last season, appointed Gerhard Struber over the summer and the Robins began brilliantly but a 1-0 loss to Blackburn Rovers at Ashton Gate backed up a 5-1 shellacking at the hands of high-flying Stoke City last weekend.
Watford will believe they can begin to motor towards the top six but can Bristol City halt their mini blip in Hertfordshire tonight?
AllSportsPeople brings you this betting preview complete with the latest tips and predictions at the start of a huge weekend of football featuring Spurs vs. Man United and Liverpool's trip to Man City.
Watford vs. Bristol City prediction: Who will win tonight?
The one defeat of Gracia’s second stint in charge of Watford at Coventry still saw them be proactive and take the lead against the league leaders, before falling to a 3-1 loss to the Coventry Building Society Arena.
The Hornets are beginning to buzz and they face a City side whose recent defeats may well have been coming as performances dipped.
Another home win, backing up a 3-0 defeat of Middlesbrough last week, would seem likely. Win big and Watford could move up from 12th to as high as 7th by the end of the night.
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Head-to-Head: Watford vs. Bristol City
- The most recent outing between Watford and Bristol City saw City edge past Watford 2-1 at Ashton Gate during the run-in towards the end of last season.
- It has been a mixed bag in terms of results between these two sides of late, with City winning two, Watford winning two and there being two draws in their last six matches.
- Overall, the two teams have clashed on 103 occasions with Watford winning 32 matches and Bristol City coming out on top in 39 of those games.
Watford vs. Bristol City Form Guide
Watford — Last 5 Matches (All Competitions)
- Ipswich Town 1-1 Watford (Championship)
- Watford 3-0 Middlesbrough (Championship)
- Coventry City 3-1 Watford (Championship)
- Watford 2-1 West Bromwich Albion (Championship)
- Watford 2-1 Oxford United (Championship)
Bristol City – Last 5 Matches (All Competitions)
- Bristol City 0-1 Blackburn Rovers (Championship)
- Stoke City 5-1 Bristol City (Championship)
- Bristol City 1-0 Birmingham City (Championship)
- Bristol City 3-1 Southampton (Championship)
- Norwich City 0-1 Bristol City (Championship)
Watford vs. Bristol City Score Prediction
Watford have begun to play a more attacking style of football with two up-front and experienced midfielder Moussa Sissoko having been dropped. They are by no means close to a finished article, though, and the visitors will have chances. Backing the Hornets seems a good shout on form but bear in mind Bristol City's goal difference on the road is bettered only by the top two Coventry and Stoke.
Score Prediction: Watford 2-1 Bristol City (8/1 with Bet365)
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Watford Team News
- As mentioned, Watford boss Javi Gracia has taken a couple of decisions backed by the fanbase, most notably the dropping of Moussa Sissoko.
- Imran Louza is arguably the best player in the division and in fine form playing behind a front two currently made up of Mamadou Doumbia and Vivaldo Semedo.
- They do still have a few key injury absentees, such as Georgia international attacking midfielder Giorgi Chakvetadz e and former Celtic man Rocco Vata.
Bristol City Team News
- Gerhard Struber is wedded to his back three shape but he could change the personnel involved with Scott Twine in particular dipping in form, albeit that does remain unlikely.
- Sinclair Armstrong has shown signs of improvement and he will also be pushing for a start ahead of former Preston North End striker Emil Riis.
- Neto Borges was forced off in midweek and is among a raft of injury concerns for the visitors, including Mark Sykes, Harry Cornick, captain Jason Knight and other midfielders Joe Williams and Max Bird.
Watford vs. Bristol City lineups
This is how we think the two sides will lineup tonight at Vicarage Road tonight.
Watford predicted lineup to play Bristol City
(4-4-2) Selvik (GK) — Ngakia, Pollock, Abankwah, Bola – Baah, Louza, Kyprianou, Ince — Doumbia, Semedo
Bristol City predicted lineup to play Watford
(3-4-2-1) Vitek (GK) — Tanner, Dickie, Roberts — McCrorie, Randell, Vyner, Hirakawa — Twine, Mehmeti — Riis
Watford vs. Bristol City Betting Odds
- Watford to Win: 6/5 with 10Bet
- Bristol City to Win: 12/5 with Paddy Power
- Draw: 5/2 with Coral
Bet Builder Tips: Watford vs. Bristol City
Our bet builder for Watford vs. Bristol City is for the home side to win and both teams to score, Imran Louza to have two more shots on target but also to commit two or more fouls and Watford to have the most corners in the match which comes to overall odds of 45.91/1 with Sky Bet.
How to watch Watford vs. Bristol City: Live stream, TV channel
Here's all the key information on how to watch Watford vs. Bristol City tonight:
- Date: Friday, November 7
- Venue: Vicarage Park, Watford, England
- Time: 8:00 p.m.
- TV/Stream: Sky Sports / Sky Go