Watford vs Bristol City betting tips
Watford will be hoping to continue their upturn in fortunes under new boss Javier Gracia when they host Bristol City at Vicarage Road on Friday night (8pm, Sky Sports Football).
Since the Spaniard returned for his second spell in charge of the Hornets, replacing Paulo Pezzolano last month, Watford have taken seven points from five matches to move them just three points behind tonight’s opponents.
They pulled off a major shock in the Championship when they beat Middlesbrough 3-0 last weekend, which was only the second league defeat of the season for Rob Edwards’ side, and they followed it up with a 1-1 away at Ipswich on Tuesday.
Bristol City have slipped to seventh in the league table after two defeats in a row against Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers.
They went down 5-1 at high-flying Stoke, before a solitary strike by Yuki Ohashi was enough to secure Rovers’ third win in a row at Ashton Gate on Tuesday.
Despite the recent blip, you can still get odds of 5/2 on City to finish in the top six in the Championship odds.
However, betting sites make them underdogs for the trip to Vicarage Road, where Watford have won their last four games in the Championship.
Watford vs Bristol City preview: Little between play-off hopefuls
This will be the 102nd meeting between the two sides, and there is not much to separate them historically, with the Hornets winning 31, losing 38 and drawing 32.
In more recent years, dating back to 2020, Watford lead the head-to-head, three to two, while three games have ended all square, and another draw may be the best option on football betting sites.
The 5-1 loss at Stoke was an ugly one for Bristol City, but it was their first away league defeat of the campaign with Gerhard Struber’s men having won three out of six on the road this season.
A lengthy injury list and short turnaround makes life tough for the Austrian coach and they’ll struggle to keep out Watford.
The Hornets have only managed one home clean sheet this season though and City may get chances, making both teams to score a good pairing with the draw.
Watford vs Bristol City prediction 1: Draw & BTTS – 18/5 William Hill
Watford vs Bristol City tips: Louza to score again
Imran Louza is one player who has definitely benefitted from a change in manager, with four goals in his last four games, including the first goal in the last two.
The opening goal at Portman Road was his sixth of the season, in 12 appearances, and those brave enough can back him at 10/1 to score first on football betting apps.
Watford vs Bristol City prediction 2: Louza to score at any time – 7/2 BetMGM
Watford vs Bristol City team news
Watford: The Hornets will be without Rocco Vata (hamstring), Caleb Wiley (adductor) for Friday’s match, while long-term absentee Giorgi Chakvetadze is still out.
Bristol City: The Robins have almost as many players out as they have available and could be missing as many as 10 players for the trip. Mark Sykes (shin) and Neto Borges (calf) are the latest additions to the injury list, although there is an outside chance Borges could feature.
They will be without Luke McNally, Cameron Pring, Harry Cornick, Jason Knight, Max Bird, Joe Williams, Josh Stokes and Rob Atkinson.
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