Joralexray Garcia
The fierce battle for promotion in the Championship continues, and this Watford vs Preston North End match will show us two teams that are fighting for it. Both teams know that this could be a decisive match for returning to the Premier League.
JefeBet provides you with the best analysis for the different matches of the main European leagues and the game predictions, focusing on providing you with the best sports betting content. Thus, this is our prediction for the Watford vs Preston North End match.
Predictions, Odds, and Betting Preview for the Watford vs Preston North End Championship Matchday 35 on March 4, 2023
- Where: Vicarage Road, Watford, England
- When: Saturday, March 4, 2023, 10:00 AM ET
- Unibet Moneyline: Watford (-118) / Tie (+260) / Preston North End (+350)
- Unibet Asian Handicap: Watford (AH -0.5, -127) / Preston North End (AH +0.5, -104)
- Unibet Over/Under (2.5): Over (+118) / Under (-157)
- Both teams score from Unibet: Yes (+102) / No (-137)
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Betting on Watford
Watford’s four-game winning streak came to an end last weekend when they lost to Sheffield United. The match ended with an own goal by Ryan Porteous in the 73rd minute.
Watford are now eighth in the standings, with only four points separating them from the promotion playoff places. Although Watford have won three of the last four games against Preston, they can’t afford making any further mistakes, especially when playing against a direct rival like Preston that is also fighting for a place in the playoffs.
However, if they want to get a positive outcome, they must improve their defensive performances, as they have not kept a clean sheet in any of their last seven league games, and also need to continue their good performance at home losing only one of its last seven home games.
Possible Lineup (4-2-3-1): Daniel Bachmann; Mario Gaspar, Ryan Porteous, Wesley Hoedt, James Morris; Imran Louza, Lanza Choudhury; Ismaila Sarr, Joao Pedro, Ken Sema; Keinan Davis.
Betting on Preston North End
On the other hand, although Preston have won just one of their last four games, they have avoided being defeated in each of those matches, the most recent of which was a goalless home draw against Coventry. That outcome has left them a little behind in the fight for promotion, being now eight points away from the playoff zone.
That goalless game against Coventry is a good example of Preston’s performance this season, as they start this matchday 35 as one of the worst attacking teams in the league, with only Cardiff scoring fewer goals than them.
However, not all is lost for Preston in this match, as they are the fourth-best away team in the Championship, losing just four of their 16 away games so far and collecting 28 points in the process. Their firmness in defense has been the key to their success away from home, conceding only 16 goals in those 16 games.
Possible Lineup (3-4-1-2): Frederick Woodman; Jordan Storey, Bambo Diaby, Lian Lindsay; Brad Potts, Alan Browne, Ryan Ledson, Alvaro Fernandez; Daniel Johnson; Ched Evans, Thomas Cannon.
JefeBet Prediction
Both teams are not that great when it comes to offense, although Watford may be better off than the away team. However, Watford have shown very good defensive qualities at home, with only 16 goals conceded. Therefore, while they might have trouble hurting the visitors, they should not suffer too much against Preston’s poor attacks.
Both Watford and Preston have covered the Over in just 13 of the 34 games they have played this season in the Championship. Therefore, considering their defensive weapons, we expect that trend to continue, leaving a low-scoring game.
Prediction: Under (WAT 1 – 0 PRE)
