Watford vs Cardiff City Prediction: Watford looking to end three-game draw run

Watford will welcome Cardiff City at Vicarage Road in Game Week 30 of the English Championship. Watford looking to end their three-game draw run against Cardiff. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?

Watford managed to maintain their unbeaten streak of seven matches in all competitions with a scoreless draw against Sheffield Wednesday in their final game of January at Hillsborough. Despite not being able to secure maximum points, this result has allowed Valerien Ismael's team to bounce back from a slow start to the season, currently sitting ninth in the Championship table, just three points behind sixth-placed Coventry City.

To bolster their squad for the remainder of the campaign, Watford has acquired Emmanuel Dennis on loan from Nottingham Forest. However, the 26-year-old striker has not been able to make a significant impact since joining in the summer of 2022. On the other hand, summer signing Mileta Rajovic has been performing well in front of the net, leading Watford's Golden Boot race with eight goals in 26 appearances. Matheus Martins and Vakoun Issouf Bayo have also contributed with five goals each.

As Watford prepares for their first home match in the Championship in 2024, they have experienced a four-game winless streak at Vicarage Road, including a 2-1 loss to Ipswich Town and a 4-1 defeat against Bristol City.

Hamer; Andrews, Pollock, Hoedt, Lewis; Livermore; Asprilla, Dele-Bashiru, Kone, Dennis; Rajovic

Cardiff City's hopes of achieving a top-six finish suffered another major setback recently when they were defeated by Plymouth Argyle. Despite Perry Ng scoring the opening goal for the Bluebirds, Ryan Hardie and Morgan Whittaker both found the net for Plymouth, leading to Cardiff's third consecutive loss. After a promising start under manager Erol Bulut, the team has struggled to maintain their positive form, winning just two of their last nine matches in both the Championship and FA Cup. This has caused frustration among some fans. The once solid defense, which included players like Mark McGuinness and Dimitrios Goutas, has conceded 10 goals in the last three matches. Moreover, Cardiff's lack of goals in recent games against Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds United, and Plymouth has left little room for collecting points. Bulut has expressed his desire to bring in a striker during the January transfer window, but their first-choice target Kieffer Moore signed with Ipswich. In an effort to improve their attacking options, Cardiff has acquired the services of Famara Diedhiou on loan from Granada. In previous visits to Vicarage Road, Cardiff emerged victorious, winning 1-0 in December 2020 and 3-1 in April 2023. These wins provided a significant boost in their battle for survival last season.

Alnwick; Goutas, McGuinness, Collins; Ng, Colwill, Wintle, Rinomhota, Romeo; Diedhiou, Grant

Watford can approach the upcoming match with confidence, as Dennis and Rajovic are eager to make an impact right from the start. The Cardiff defense has been vulnerable, providing an opportunity for Watford to take advantage. While the return of Ramsey to the Cardiff squad is a positive aspect for the Bluebirds, we still maintain that it will not be sufficient to prevent a victory for Watford at Vicarage Road.