Watford vs Preston North End Prediction: Preston needs a win to stay in playoffs race

Watford will welcome Preston at Vicarage Road in Game Week 41 of the English Championship. Preston needs a win to stay in playoffs race. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?

Watford form

Having won only one out of 12 matches before being placed in interim charge, some may view Cleverley as having a good opportunity to impress until the end of the season. Despite this, credit is deserved for earning five points from matches against Birmingham City, Leeds United, and West Bromwich Albion. The results could have been better, as Watford was leading in matches against Leeds and West Brom, but their efforts have eased any worries about relegation. upcoming trips to Ipswich Town and Southampton show the importance of collecting points in the previous games. This is especially true as Watford has not won a home Championship fixture since November 28, a streak of 10 games.

Watford Predicted Lineup

Bachmann; Porteous, Sierralta, Hoedt; Andrews, Kayembe, Dele-Bashiru, Lewis; Asprilla; Rajovic, Dennis

Preston North End form

Preston are facing pressure to demonstrate that they have learned from their mistakes in the previous season's run-in, which saw them miss out on the playoffs. The recent form of Ryan Lowe's team, which includes losses to Stoke City and Birmingham City, has not alleviated concerns among supporters. While they managed to defeat Plymouth Argyle and Rotherham United, the loss to Birmingham has put their playoff hopes in jeopardy. Preston still have challenging matches against teams like Norwich City, Southampton, Leicester City, and West Bromwich Albion, adding to the pressure to secure crucial wins and close the gap on sixth place.

Preston Predicted Lineup

 Woodman; Whatmough, Lindsay, Hughes; Millar, McCann, Browne, Brady; Frokjaer-Jensen; Osmajic, Riis. 

Watford vs Preston North End Expert Tips

Yaser Asprilla and Mileta Rajovic are both vying for a spot in the Watford XI in the attacking third. Despite not being able to secure a win at The Hawthorns, the rest of the team may remain unchanged. Players like Jeremy Ngakia and Ken Sema are unlikely to feature in this game due to fitness concerns. Preston could see some changes in their starting lineup, with Alan Browne possibly returning after illness. Milutin Osmajic may be preferred over Will Keane, and Liam Millar could make a return. However, Brad Potts, Ryan Ledson, and Ched Evans are expected to be unavailable. 

After a loss to Birmingham, Preston's confidence may have taken a hit, and facing a resurgent Watford team at this moment may be challenging. We predict that Watford could win this game by a narrow margin, especially if they start strong.