Preview: Watford vs. Wigan Athletic - prediction, team news, lineups

The Hornets kept their playoff ambitions alive with a win over Birmingham City on Tuesday night, whereas Wigan shared the spoils with Coventry City at the DW Stadium on the same day.

Match preview

Watford earned their first victory under new manager Chris Wilder on Tuesday night with a comprehensive 3-0 success over John Eustace's out-of-form Birmingham side at Vicarage Road - the hosts' first win in four matches.

Goals from Imran Louza and Keinan Davis put Wilder's men into a commanding two-goal lead at the break, and although they were tested more by the visiting Blues in the second period, Watford held on for the win, with Britt Assombalonga netting his first goal for the club late in the contest.

That win means the Hornets are now 10th in the Championship standings, six points behind sixth-placed Millwall with nine matches left to play - a gap that will be difficult to close between now and May.

Watford - despite their struggles - have fared well at Vicarage Road in recent times and are enjoying a six-game unbeaten run at their Hertfordshire home, one they will be confident of extending on Saturday afternoon.

Joao Pedro has once again been a key player for Wilder's men this campaign, and it is clear they will need the Brazilian attacker at his creative best until the end of the season if Watford are to achieve a coveted top-six finish.

Wigan made a solid start to life under the management of Shaun Maloney in February, going unbeaten in his first four matches - a run which included a vital victory over relegation-rivals Huddersfield Town.

Unfortunately for the Latics supporters, their side have not managed to earn maximum points in any of their last seven second-tier matches - a statistic that if continued will cost them their Championship status.

Tuesday night's draw against Coventry is in isolation a positive result, but Wigan had to rely on a Kyle McFadzean own goal to rescue a point that did not massively improve their situation in the table.

The Lancashire-based club are bottom of the Championship standings with nine games to go, six points behind 21st-placed Cardiff City heading into the final round of fixtures before the international break.

Maloney will be hoping the likes of Ashley Fletcher and Thelo Aasgaard can cause issues for the Watford backline on Saturday, although fans will not be too optimistic considering the last time their team won an away match was way back in October.

Watford Championship form:

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W

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W

Wigan Athletic Championship form:

D

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D

Team News

Watford will be without midfielder Hamza Choudhury on Saturday, with the Leicester City loanee serving the final match of his two-game suspension for collecting 10 yellow cards.

Canadian Ismael Kone came into the side to replace Choudhury and impressed in the comfortable win over Birmingham, so the 20-year-old should start successive games alongside Louza and Leandro Bacuna in the Hornets' engine room.

Manager Wilder is hopeful of having forward Ismaila Sarr back in the matchday squad after the Senegal international missed the Blues clash with a hamstring injury, although the player may not waltz straight into the XI even if he is fully fit.

Wigan centre-back Omar Rekik will return to the side after serving his one-game ban for picking up a red card in the Latics' 3-0 loss at league-leaders Burnley last week - Steven Caulker is likely to make way for the Tunisian.

Maloney matched Coventry with a back five on Tuesday night and could do the same against Watford in this game, with Tendayi Darikwa and James McClean operating as the wing-backs.

Jason Kerr and Martin Kelly are both sidelined for the remainder of the campaign due to cruciate ligament and knee injuries respectively, limiting Maloney's options at centre-back.

Watford possible starting lineup:

Bachmann; Ngakia, Porteous, Cathcart, Hoedt, Sema; Kone, Bacuna, Louza; Pedro, Davis

Wigan Athletic possible starting lineup:

Amos; Hughes, Rekik, Nyambe; Darikwa, Power, Tiehi, McClean, Sinani; Fletcher, Keane

We say: Watford 2-0 Wigan Athletic

Watford started quickly during the win over Birmingham, and Wilder will be hoping his team do the same on Saturday against a Wigan side who struggle to recover from losing positions, especially away from home.

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