Watfordvs.Portsmouth

Meanwhile, the Hornets will be looking for a positive response after falling to a narrow defeat in their recent meeting with Burnley.

Match preview

Watford are sitting just one point adrift of the playoffs after winning 10, drawing four and losing seven of their 21 league matches.

The Hornets recently put together a six-game unbeaten run, including a narrow 2-1 victory in their most recent home match against West Bromwich Albion.

Unfortunately for Watford, their undefeated streak came to an end in their recent away clash against Burnley, with Kwadwo Baah scoring what proved to be a consolation goal in a 2-1 defeat.

After experiencing disappointment at Turf Moor, Watford will now return to the home comforts of Vicarage Road, where they have avoided defeat in 14 consecutive league games since losing 3-1 to Coventry City in March.

In fact, the Hornets head into their Boxing Day fixture with the Championship's second-best defensive record, having taken 26 points from their 10 home league games this season.

After keeping four clean sheets in their last five home matches, Tom Cleverley's side will be looking to produce another strong defensive display in Thursday's clash, as they go in search of a fifth consecutive victory in home meetings with Portsmouth.

Portsmouth moved out of the relegation zone with a dominant win in Saturday's encounter with Coventry City despite conceding a third-minute opener.

Callum Lang produced a scintillating performance to net four goals in a commanding 4-1 victory, extending Pompey's unbeaten home run to four matches.

While they have impressed in recent home outings, Portsmouth need to improve on their travels if they are to extend their two-point gap to safety.

John Mousinho's side have won just one of their 10 away league games this season (D4, L5), with that sole victory taking place in October's clash with Queens Park Rangers.

Pompey have lost three of their five road trips since that successful visit to Loftus Road, including a forgettable 4-0 defeat in their most recent away outing against Derby County.

The South Coast side will certainly have their work cut out to take maximum points from Thursday's fixture, having failed to win any of their previous eight away meetings with Watford since they recorded a 2-1 victory in April 1996.

Watford Championship form:

D

W

D

D

W

L

Portsmouth Championship form:

W

D

W

D

L

W

Team News

Watford have reported no fresh injury concerns, although they are still without the services of Tom Dele-Bashiru and Kevin Keben.

Cleverley is hopeful that Imran Louza will be ready to return to the matchday squad after missing the recent defeat to Burnley.

Udinese loanee Vakoun Bayo will continue to lead the Watford line, with the striker looking to add to the nine goals he has scored this season.

As for the visitors, Kusini Yengi, Ibane Bowat, Jacob Farrell and Harvey Blair are all sidelined with knee injuries.

Jordan Williams and Regan Poole are ruled out with hamstring problems, while Conor Shaughnessy and Mark O'Mahony remain unavailable for selection due to their respective injury issues.

Abdoulaye Kamara and Elias Sorensen are set to return to the matchday squad after missing the win over Coventry with injury and illness respectively.

Watford possible starting lineup:

Bachmann; Porteous, Sierralta, Pollock; Ngakia, Sissoko, Louza, Larouci; Baah, Chakvetadze, Bayo

Portsmouth possible starting lineup:

Schmid; Swanson, Pack, Towler, Ogilvie; Potts, Dozzell; Murphy, Lang, Ritchie; Bishop

We say: Watford 3-1 Portsmouth

Written by

Ben Sully

Previews by email