Preview: Watford vs. West Bromwich Albion - prediction, team news, lineups

The Hornets left it late to get the better of Birmingham City on the weekend, whilst West Brom showed little attacking threat in a goalless draw at Ashton Gate against Bristol City.

Match preview

Watford ended a five-game winless run in all competitions on Saturday afternoon by handing John Eustace's Birmingham their first loss of the 2023-24 Championship term.

Valerien Ismael's men dominated proceedings in Hertfordshire but had to wait until added time to secure the three points, with Mileta Rajovic and Ryan Andrews getting on the scoresheet for the Hornets to seal their first win since the opening day against a harmless Queens Park Rangers.

Following the sale of Ismaila Sarr to Ligue 1 giants Marseille in the summer, there had been understandable concerns that Ivorian Vakoun Issouf Bayo may not be able to carry the goalscoring burden alone, but the form of the Dane Rajovic since his arrival from Kalmar has considerably eased any worries of a potential drought in front of goal.

Despite possessing one of the most talented squads on paper in the second tier, Watford sit just 12th after their first six matches, having earned eight points, meaning they are already eight points behind league leaders Preston North End.

Only Ryan Lowe's Lilywhites and Norwich City have collected more points in front of their own supporters than Ismael's men so far this term, however no one has played as many home matches than the Hornets in the Championship to date.

West Brom were unable to earn their maiden away maximum of the season against Bristol City on Saturday, with the Baggies playing out their first competitive goalless draw since the stalemate with Gary Rowett's Millwall back in April.

Albion failed to register a shot on target at Ashton Gate on Saturday afternoon, and many supporters questioned why the likes of Jeremy Sarmiento and Grady Diangana were handed only seven minutes off the bench to make an attacking impression.

The Black Country outfit now face a clash with former head coach Ismael, whose reign at The Hawthorns started brightly before the rest of the Championship worked out how to exploit the Frenchman's tactics, ultimately leading to his departure in February 2022.

The Baggies' failure to reach the top six last term can largely be attributed to an abysmal start under the stewardship of Steve Bruce, however West Brom's away form was a constant hinderance to their top-six ambitions, with the former Premier League regulars winning just seven of their 23 second-tier outings in 2022-23.

Last campaign's trip to Vicarage Road saw Conor Townsend and Jed Wallace make the net ripple for the visitors, however a brace from Ken Sema and a strike from Ismaila Sarr meant Slaven Bilic's Hornets were victorious in a five-goal thriller.

Watford Championship form:

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West Bromwich Albion Championship form:

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West Bromwich Albion form (all competitions):

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Team News

Despite winning last time out, Ismael is expected to make a few changes to the side which started against Birmingham, with Yaser Asprilla set to earn a place in the XI after tormenting the Blues backline during a 30-minute cameo.

The 19-year-old Colombian could line up alongside goalscorer Andrews and Georgia international Giorgi Chakvetadze for the hosts on Wednesday, with Jeremy Ngakia and Thomas Ince potentially making way.

Jake Livermore was an unused substitute on the weekend but could feature against his former employers in this one, however with Francisco Sierralta thriving in the Hornets' engine room, the former England international is unlikely to start alongside Imran Louza and Tom Dele-Bashiru.

Following a lacklustre performance at Ashton Gate on the weekend, West Brom boss Corberan could finally hand full league debuts to Brighton & Hove Albion loanee Sarmiento and former Sunderland ace Josh Maja.

The ex-Huddersfield Town boss used his contacts to recruit former Terrier Pipa from Ludogorets Razgrad on a season-long loan, however the Spaniard is being kept out of the XI by Darnell Furlong - a player who has faced little competition for his place at right-back since joining in 2019.

Left-back Townsend had to settle for a spot on the bench as Corberan prefered the versatile Matt Phillips in his back-five setup on Saturday, however the former Scunthorpe United man could regain his place amongst the starters at Vicarage Road.

Daryl Dike remains on the sidelines as he continues to recover from an Achilles tendon injury - the American is hoping to be back in contention for first-team football during the festive period.

Watford possible starting lineup:

Bachmann; Ngakia, Porteous, Hoedt, Lewis; Sierralta, Louza, Dele-Bashiru; Asprilla, Martins, Rajovic

West Bromwich Albion possible starting lineup:

Palmer; Ajayi, Kipre, Pieters; Furlong, Yokuslu, Molumby, Townsend; Sarmiento, Wallace, Thomas-Asante

We say: Watford 2-1 West Bromwich Albion

Watford were good value for their victory over Birmingham on the weekend, and the Vicarage Road faithful will be expecting a similar result against a West Brom side who struggle away from home.

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