Southampton FC vs Watford FC, Championship 2023-24 REGULAR SEASON
Overview
Match Preview
Southampton FC vs Watford FC — Championship at Saint Mary's.
- Southampton FC 8 games · 10 pts (2026/27)
- Watford FC 8 games · 8 pts (2026/27)
Match Details
- Referee Josh Smith (England)
- Assistant 1 Matthew Jones
- Assistant 2 Sam Lewis (England)
Standings
| # | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swansea City AFC | 8 | 17 |
| 2 | West Ham United FC | 8 | 15 |
| 3 | Middlesbrough FC | 8 | 15 |
| 4 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 7 | 14 |
| 5 | West Bromwich Albion FC | 8 | 14 |
| 6 | Queens Park Rangers FC | 8 | 13 |
| 7 | Stoke City FC | 8 | 13 |
| 8 | Bristol City FC | 8 | 13 |
| 9 | Charlton Athletic FC | 8 | 12 |
| 10 | Birmingham City FC | 8 | 11 |
| 11 | Millwall FC | 8 | 11 |
| 12 | Lincoln City FC | 8 | 11 |
| 13 | Southampton FC | 8 | 10 |
| 14 | Wrexham AFC | 8 | 10 |
| 15 | Bolton Wanderers FC | 8 | 10 |
| 16 | Blackburn Rovers FC | 8 | 9 |
| 17 | Norwich City FC | 8 | 9 |
| 18 | Sheffield United FC | 8 | 9 |
| 19 | Portsmouth FC | 7 | 8 |
| 20 | Watford FC | 8 | 8 |
| 21 | Cardiff City FC | 8 | 7 |
| 22 | Derby County FC | 8 | 5 |
| 23 | Preston North End FC | 8 | 4 |
| 24 | Burnley FC | 8 | 4 |
Head-to-Head
Recent Form
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Apr | Watford FC | H | 3–2 | W |
| 09 Apr | Coventry City FC | H | 2–1 | W |
| 06 Apr | Blackburn Rovers FC | A | 0–0 | D |
| 01 Apr | Ipswich Town FC | A | 2–3 | L |
| 29 Mar | Middlesbrough FC | H | 1–1 | D |
| 09 Mar | Sunderland AFC | H | 4–2 | W |
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Apr | Southampton FC | A | 2–3 | L |
| 10 Apr | Ipswich Town FC | A | 0–0 | D |
| 06 Apr | Preston North End FC | H | 0–0 | D |
| 01 Apr | West Bromwich Albion FC | A | 2–2 | D |
| 29 Mar | Leeds United FC | H | 2–2 | D |
| 16 Mar | Birmingham City FC | A | 1–0 | W |
Season Stats
| Southampton FC | Watford FC | |
|---|---|---|
| #13 | Position | #20 |
| 10 | Points | 8 |
| 8 | Played | 8 |
| 4 / 2 / 2 | W / D / L | 2 / 2 / 4 |
| 19 | Scored | 7 |
| 10 | Conceded | 10 |
| +9 | GD | -3 |
| 1.25 | PPG | 1.00 |
| 50% | Win % | 25% |
Key Stats
77%
Both Teams to Score
H2H (13 games)
H2H (13 games)
54%
Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
H2H history
0%
Clean Sheets
Southampton FC this season
Southampton FC this season
0%
Clean Sheets
Watford FC this season
Watford FC this season
Southampton FC are 13th (10 pts). Watford FC are 20th (8 pts).
Goal Timing (This Season)
Southampton FC
0-15
2/2
16-30
1/2
31-45
5/1
46-60
3/2
61-75
2/1
76+
6/1
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Watford FC
0-15
2/2
16-30
2/2
31-45
–/3
46-60
–/2
61-75
1/–
76+
2/–
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Top Scorers (This Season)
Southampton FC
| Cyle Larin | 7 G | |
| Finn Azaz | 3 G | 4 A |
| Leo Scienza | 2 G | 2 A |
Watford FC
| Amin Nabizada | 3 G |
| Iker Bravo | 1 G |
| Luca Kjerrumgaard | 1 G |
Events
Match Events
- 0' KICK OFF: Southampton FC gets underway.
- 1' The Ireland central midfielder William Smallbone breaks the deadlock on 1 minutes. 1-0!
- 6' A tactical chess match is unfolding here. The question is which manager blinks first.
- 11' Spectators are craving for more action. Both teams play very cautiously. They need to put some more energy.
- 16' The midfield battle is intense right now. Both Southampton FC and Watford FC are fighting for every inch of the pitch.
- 20' Che Adams has been a constant threat and now delivers with a goal on 20 minutes.
- 25' Watford FC has dominated the recent head-to-head record, winning 1 of the last 1 meetings.
- 30' It looks surprising Southampton FC does not make any changes. Matthew Pollock has some obvious troubles when approaching to the goal.
- 34' Ryan Porteous adds to his 1 season tally! Watford FC lead 2-1 — and this changes everything.
- 39' Supporters expect more eagerness from Matheus Martins, as he is very good at scoring at Saint Mary's with 0 goals in the last 0 games.
- 40' Wesley Hoedt has been a danger all night but risks an early exit having now seen a card on 40.
- 45' Both teams are passing the ball around with high level of urgency. Southampton FC needs to do something about it to get closer to the goal.
- 46' The Watford FC bench stirs into life. Tom Dele-Bashiru is withdrawn and Ismael Kone gets his opportunity.
- 51' will be watching from the dugout nervously. His Southampton FC side need to improve if they are to claim all three points.
- 55' It’s gonna be a card for Ryan Porteous.
- 56' The crowd applauds David Brooks as he leaves the pitch. Ryan Fraser steps in for Southampton FC.
- 61' Watford FC manager makes another effort to make the tables turned. James Morris is hanging Jamal Lewis on the field on 61 minute.
- 62' Time for substitution for Watford FC. Matthew Pollock is replaced by Ryan Andrews.
- 67' The referee is likely to let players tackle, as he already missed some meaty challenges during opening seconds. He is still to establish what should not be done by the players and what is acceptable on the pitch. It’s going to be a tough game for Emmanuel Dennis suffering a number of foals already.
- 70' The referee does not hesitate — a card for Edo Kayembe on 70 minutes.
- 71' It is a substitution in Southampton FC team. James Bree is replaced by Ryan Manning on 71 minute.
- 75' A moment of madness from Ryan Fraser on 75 minutes earns him a card. Southampton FC will be frustrated.
- 78' Mileta Rajovic is replacing Vakoun Issouf Bayo for the Watford FC side.
- 79' Sekou Mara gets the nod from Southampton FC. He replaces Che Adams and will look to change the dynamic.
- 80' A tactical swap from Southampton FC — Jan Bednarek on, William Smallbone off on 80 minutes.
- 85' What a moment for Ismael Kone! That strike on 85 puts his side firmly in control.
- 90' Watford FC fans have not had much to celebrate tonight. Their side is struggling to get forward.
- Watford FC will have plenty to reflect on. Southampton FC were simply the better side today.
Lineups
Southampton FC Lineups
4-3-3Starting XI
-
36
David Brooks ↓ Ryan Fraser 56'
- 5
- 2
- 4
-
10
Che Adams ↓ Sekou Mara 79'
-
14
James Bree ↓ Ryan Manning 71'
-
7
Joe Aribo ↓ Stuart Armstrong 56'
- 9
- 31
- 21
- 16
Bench
-
26
Ryan Fraser ↑ 56'
-
35
Jan Bednarek ↑ 80'
-
17
Stuart Armstrong ↑ 56'
- 13
- 19
-
3
Ryan Manning ↑ 71'
- 20
-
18
Sekou Mara ↑ 79'
- 23
Coach
Russell Martin
Watford FC Lineups
4-2-3-1Starting XI
- 25
- 4
-
6
Jamal Lewis ↓ James Morris 61'
- 1
- 5
- 39
- 16
- 19
-
15
Matthew Pollock ↓ Ryan Andrews 62'
-
24
Tom Dele-Bashiru ↓ Ismael Kone 46'
- 18
Bench
- 26
- 8
- 7
- 3
-
37
Matheus Martins ↑ 62'
-
11
Ismael Kone ↑ 46'
-
42
James Morris ↑ 61'
-
45
Ryan Andrews ↑ 62'
-
9
Mileta Rajovic ↑ 78'
Coach
Tom Cleverley
H2H
H2H Top Scorers
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Che Adams | 5 |
| Danny Ings | 3 |
| Sekou Mara | 2 |
| Juan Hernandez | 2 |
| James Ward-Prowse | 2 |
| Stuart Armstrong | 1 |
| Jan Bednarek | 1 |
| Iker Bravo | 1 |
Head to Head
Southampton FC Form
Predictions
Prediction accuracy
4 / 4
2.16
Southampton FC xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
1.04
Watford FC xG
I would bet for:
Over 2.5 goals 61% + Southampton FC to win 60%
Match Result
✓ CorrectActual: Southampton FC win
Both Teams to Score
✓ Correct
Avg goals/match: 3.2
Actual: Yes — both scored
Over / Under Goals
✓ O/U 2.5| Line | Over | Under | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ± 0.5 | 94% |
|
6% |
| ± 1.5 | 83% |
|
17% |
| ± 2.5 | 61% |
|
39% |
| ± 3.5 | 39% |
|
61% |
| ± 4.5 | 22% |
|
78% |
Double Chance
Southampton FC or Draw
82%
Draw or Watford FC
40%
Southampton FC or Watford FC
78%
Half-Time Result
✓ CorrectActual: Southampton FC win at HT
Correct Score
✓ In top 12
1 – 1
10%
2 – 1
9.5%
2 – 0
9.4%
1 – 0
8.2%
3 – 1
6.8%
3 – 0
6.6%
0 – 0
5.6%
2 – 2
5%
1 – 2
4.6%
4 – 1
3.8%
3 – 2
Actual
0 – 1
3.6%
Asian Handicap — Southampton FC
| Handicap | Southampton FC covers | Push | Watford FC covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 21% | — | 79% |
| -2 | 21% | 19% | 61% |
| -1.5 | 39% | — | 61% |
| -1 | 39% | 22% | 39% |
| -0.5 | 61% | — | 39% |
| +0.5 | 83% | — | 17% |
| +1 | 83% | 10% | 6% |
| +1.5 | 94% | — | 6% |
| +2 | 94% | 4% | 2% |
| +2.5 | 98% | — | 2% |
Clean Sheet
Southampton FC keeps clean sheet
36%
✓
Watford FC keeps clean sheet
12%
✓
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.

