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Preview: Watford vs. Birmingham City - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Championship clash between Watford and Birmingham City, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Automatic promotion hopefuls Watford will face Birmingham City in the Championship on Saturday afternoon hoping to consolidate second place with a victory at Vicarage Road.

The Hornets have won eight of their last nine league games, while the visitors are looking to win their first match at Vicarage Road since April 2009.


Match preview

Will Hughes celebrates scoring for Watford against Derby County in the Championship on February 19, 2021© Reuters

Watford boss Xisco hailed his side's "amazing performance" after a comfortable 4-1 win at Rotherham United on Tuesday night, but the Spaniard still feels that his players are capable of more.

Goals from Francisco Sierralta, Ismaila Sarr, Ken Sema and Dan Gosling helped the Hornets secure their fourth consecutive league victory and moved them three points clear of third-placed Swansea City, who lost to Bournemouth in midweek.

Watford head into this weekend's clash against Birmingham after winning six of their last seven league meetings against them, including a narrow 1-0 victory at St Andrew's earlier this campaign.

The Hornets have also lost just one of their last 10 Championship matches, averaging 2.24 points per game since Xisco took charge in December.

Knowing that Swansea still have a game in hand, Watford cannot afford to slip up with just nine league fixtures left to play, and a victory on Saturday would move them one step closer to an immediate return to the Premier League.

Birmingham City manager Lee Bowyer pictured on March 17, 2021© Reuters

Lee Bowyer got his managerial reign at Birmingham off to a winning start with a slender 2-1 victory at home to promotion hopefuls Reading on Wednesday night.

Goals from Lukas Jutkiewicz and captain Harlee Dean gave the Blues only their fourth win in their last 20 Championship matches, moving them six points clear of the relegation zone, although Rotherham United now have four games in hand.

Even though Birmingham have three difficult fixtures coming up against Watford, Swansea City and Brentford, Bowyer is confident that his new side can survive the drop.

Saturday's match against the Hornets will be their first trip to Vicarage Road since losing 1-0 back in April 2015, and the Blues have been beaten on their last three visits without scoring a goal.

Securing a surprise victory this weekend would see Birmingham claim successive league wins for the first time since December.

Watford Championship form:
  • W
  • L
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W

Birmingham City Championship form:
  • L
  • W
  • D
  • L
  • L
  • W


Team News

Watford manager Xisco Munoz pictured in February 2021© Reuters

Ben Foster has featured on the Watford bench for the last two matches, after over two months out with a broken finger, and the goalkeeper is now in line to replace Daniel Bachmann in the starting lineup this weekend.

Midfielder Gosling came off the bench to score in the victory at Rotherham on Tuesday and will be pushing for a place in Xisco's starting lineup.

After winning against Reading in midweek, Birmingham boss Bowyer may decide to name the same starting lineup against the Hornets on Saturday.

Croatian midfielder Ivan Sunjic, who was dropped to the bench against the Royals, will be hoping to earn his place back in the first XI ahead of either Gary Gardner or Rekeem Harper.

Watford possible starting lineup:
Foster; Femenia, Troost-Ekong, Sierralta, Masina; Chalobah, Hughes, Zinckernagel; Sarr, Pedro, Sema

Birmingham City possible starting lineup:
Etheridge; Colin, Roberts, Dean, Pedersen; Halilovic, Gardner, Harper, Bela; Hogan, Jutkiewicz


SM words green background

We say: Watford 2-0 Birmingham City

Birmingham will be hoping to build on an impressive victory in midweek as they look to move further away from the relegation zone. However, the visitors face a Watford side in a rich vein of form, and the Hornets should have enough quality in the final third to triumph at Vicarage Road this weekend.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 1.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Over 1.5:data


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How you voted: Watford vs Birmingham

Watford
77.8%
Draw
13.1%
Birmingham City
9.1%
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Watford manager Xisco Munoz pictured in February 2021
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Xisco Munoz hails Watford's "amazing performance" in Rotherham rout
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Todays Game Header Right
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Norwich CityNorwich40269564283687
2Watford402310757273079
3Brentford391913766402670
4Swansea CitySwansea392091045311469
5Barnsley40208125244868
6Reading401991256431366
7Bournemouth3918111060382265
8Cardiff CityCardiff4016101455431258
9Millwall401416104137458
10Middlesbrough40169154843557
11Stoke CityStoke401413134544155
12Queens Park RangersQPR391411144346-353
13Luton TownLuton39148173245-1350
14Bristol City40154214055-1549
15Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest401212163439-548
16Preston North EndPreston40146204150-948
17Blackburn RoversBlackburn401210185045546
18Derby CountyDerby401110193045-1543
19Huddersfield TownHuddersfield391110184260-1843
20Coventry CityCoventry391012173552-1742
21Birmingham CityBirmingham401012182950-2142
22Rotherham UnitedRotherham36105213851-1335
23Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds39118203348-1535
24Wycombe WanderersWycombe4089232961-3233

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