Watford FC vs Birmingham City FC, Championship 2023-24 REGULAR SEASON
Overview
Match Preview
Watford FC vs Birmingham City FC — Championship at Vicarage Road.
- Watford FC 46 games · 57 pts (2026/27)
- Birmingham City FC 46 games · 64 pts (2026/27)
Match Details
- Referee Keith Stroud
- Assistant 1 Matthew Smith
- Assistant 2 Richard Wild
Standings
| # | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coventry City FC | 46 | 95 |
| 2 | Ipswich Town FC | 46 | 84 |
| 3 | Millwall FC | 46 | 83 |
| 4 | Southampton FC | 46 | 80 |
| 5 | Middlesbrough FC | 46 | 80 |
| 6 | Hull City AFC | 46 | 73 |
| 7 | Wrexham AFC | 46 | 71 |
| 8 | Derby County FC | 46 | 69 |
| 9 | Norwich City FC | 46 | 65 |
| 10 | Birmingham City FC | 46 | 64 |
| 11 | Swansea City AFC | 46 | 64 |
| 12 | Bristol City FC | 46 | 62 |
| 13 | Sheffield United FC | 46 | 60 |
| 14 | Preston North End FC | 46 | 60 |
| 15 | Queens Park Rangers FC | 46 | 58 |
| 16 | Watford FC | 46 | 57 |
| 17 | Stoke City FC | 46 | 55 |
| 18 | Portsmouth FC | 46 | 55 |
| 19 | Charlton Athletic FC | 46 | 53 |
| 20 | Blackburn Rovers FC | 46 | 52 |
| 21 | West Bromwich Albion FC | 46 | 51 |
| 22 | Oxford United FC | 46 | 47 |
| 23 | Leicester City FC | 46 | 46 |
| 24 | Sheffield Wednesday FC | 46 | 0 |
Head-to-Head
Recent Form
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Sep | Birmingham City FC | H | 2–0 | W |
| 02 Sep | Coventry City FC | A | 3–3 | D |
| 27 Aug | Blackburn Rovers FC | H | 0–1 | L |
| 19 Aug | Stoke City FC | A | 0–1 | L |
| 12 Aug | Plymouth Argyle FC | H | 0–0 | D |
| 05 Aug | Queens Park Rangers FC | H | 4–0 | W |
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Sep | Watford FC | A | 0–2 | L |
| 02 Sep | Millwall FC | H | 1–1 | D |
| 26 Aug | Plymouth Argyle FC | H | 2–1 | W |
| 19 Aug | Bristol City FC | A | 2–0 | W |
| 12 Aug | Leeds United FC | H | 1–0 | W |
| 05 Aug | Swansea City AFC | A | 1–1 | D |
Season Stats
| Watford FC | Birmingham City FC | |
|---|---|---|
| #16 | Position | #10 |
| 57 | Points | 64 |
| 46 | Played | 46 |
| 14 / 15 / 17 | W / D / L | 17 / 13 / 16 |
| 53 | Scored | 57 |
| 65 | Conceded | 56 |
| -12 | GD | +1 |
| 1.24 | PPG | 1.39 |
| 30% | Win % | 37% |
Key Stats
25%
Both Teams to Score
H2H (8 games)
H2H (8 games)
50%
Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
H2H history
Watford FC are 16th (57 pts). Birmingham City FC are 10th (64 pts).
Events
Match Events
- 0' What a night it is going to be! Watford FC welcome Birmingham City FC for this crunch clash at Vicarage Road.
- 5' Birmingham City FC receives a Yellow card for a hard tackle on 5.
- 10' It looks surprising Watford FC does not make any changes. Ismael Kone has some obvious troubles when approaching to the goal.
- 15' The 25-year-old Emmanuel Longelo has been sensational this season — 0 goals and 0 assists is a remarkable return.
- 20' The home supporters are growing impatient. Watford FC must find a spark to ignite this game.
- 25' We miss some good tackles and strikes. Is there anyone on the field to put the game back to action?
- 30' Tom Dele-Bashiru is a natural and has been asked to do a very specific job for Watford FC tonight.
- 35' The referee has no hesitation. Lee Buchanan is booked for Birmingham City FC — Yellow card on 35.
- 38' A moment of madness from Krystian Bielik on 38 minutes earns him a Yellow card. Birmingham City FC will be frustrated.
- 43' Birmingham City FC is showing some good football. However, Birmingham City FC are ready to play back every minute. It might result in some problems for the home side. The game will hardly remain goalless.
- 46' Jamal Lewis has so much to prove this time. He replaces James Morris on 46 minute.
- 51' named a 4-3-3 earlier, and opted for a 4-4-2 in response. A fascinating tactical duel is developing.
- 55' Wesley Hoedt has been a danger all night but risks an early exit having now seen a Yellow card on 55.
- 56' Yaser Asprilla gets the nod from Watford FC. He replaces Tom Ince and will look to change the dynamic.
- 57' A moment of madness from Jay Stansfield on 57 minutes earns him a Yellow card. Birmingham City FC will be frustrated.
- 60' Birmingham City FC receives a Yellow card for a hard tackle on 60.
- 65' The Watford FC bench stirs into life. Tom Dele-Bashiru is withdrawn and Giorgi Chakvetadze gets his opportunity.
- 68' Birmingham City FC ring the changes. Keshi Anderson has done his job and it is now time for Koji Miyoshi to step up.
- 71' The crowd applauds Oliver Burke as he leaves the pitch. Juninho Bacuna steps in for Birmingham City FC.
- 76' Birmingham City FC started playing very sharply right from the kick off. However, it slowed down the tempo rapidly by 76.
- 77' It is a substitution in Watford FC team. Jeremy Ngakia is replaced by Ryan Andrews on 77 minute.
- 82' looks like a favorite considering 0 games won in last 0 matches with its main striker scoring goals.
- 87' Birmingham City FC make a change. Jay Stansfield trudges off to be replaced by Emmanuel Longelo on 87 minutes.
- 88' Lee Buchanan picks up a Red card and will need to be extremely careful for the remainder of this match.
- Full Time. Watford FC beats Birmingham City FC
Lineups
Watford FC Lineups
4-3-3Starting XI
-
7
Tom Ince ↓ Yaser Asprilla 56'
- 4
- 3
- 1
- 5
- 10
- 24
-
2
Jeremy Ngakia ↓ Ryan Andrews 77'
-
37
Matheus Martins ↓ Ismael Kone 65'
-
42
James Morris ↓ Jamal Lewis 46'
- 9
Bench
- 26
- 8
-
6
Jamal Lewis ↑ 46'
- 39
-
16
Giorgi Chakvetadze ↑ 65'
- 15
-
11
Ismael Kone ↑ 65'
-
18
Yaser Asprilla ↑ 56'
-
45
Ryan Andrews ↑ 77'
Coach
Valerien Ismael
Birmingham City FC Lineups
4-4-2Starting XI
-
–
Oliver Burke ↓ Juninho Bacuna 71'
- 26
- 21
-
9
Scott Hogan ↓ Jordan James 87'
- 6
-
14
Keshi Anderson ↓ Koji Miyoshi 68'
- 34
- 3
- 5
- 28
- 12
Bench
-
7
Juninho Bacuna ↑ 71'
- 1
- 4
- 20
-
11
Koji Miyoshi ↑ 68'
- 44
-
23
Emmanuel Longelo ↑ 87'
-
19
Jordan James ↑ 87'
- 27
Coach
John Eustace
H2H
H2H Top Scorers
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Ken Sema | 2 |
| Mileta Rajovic | 1 |
| Emmanuel Dennis | 1 |
| Troy Deeney | 1 |
| Nathaniel Chalobah | 1 |
| Andre Gray | 1 |
| George Hall | 1 |
| Britt Assombalonga | 1 |
Head to Head
Watford FC Form
Birmingham City FC Form
2023-09-16
Watford FC
2–0
Birmingham City FC
L
2023-09-02
Birmingham City FC
1–1
Millwall FC
D
2023-08-26
Birmingham City FC
2–1
Plymouth Argyle FC
W
2023-08-19
Bristol City FC
0–2
Birmingham City FC
W
2023-08-12
Birmingham City FC
1–0
Leeds United FC
W
2023-08-05
Swansea City AFC
1–1
Birmingham City FC
D
Predictions
Prediction accuracy
4 / 4
1.43
Watford FC xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
0.86
Birmingham City FC xG
I would bet for:
Under 2.5 goals 60% + Under — clean sheet likely 55%
Match Result
✓ CorrectActual: Watford FC win
Both Teams to Score
✓ Correct
Avg goals/match: 2.29
Actual: No — clean sheet
Over / Under Goals
✓ O/U 2.5| Line | Over | Under | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ± 0.5 | 88% |
|
12% |
| ± 1.5 | 67% |
|
33% |
| ± 2.5 | 40% |
|
60% |
| ± 3.5 | 20% |
|
80% |
| ± 4.5 | 9% |
|
91% |
Double Chance
Watford FC or Draw
79%
Draw or Birmingham City FC
49%
Watford FC or Birmingham City FC
72%
Half-Time Result
✓ CorrectActual: Draw at HT
Correct Score
✓ In top 12
1 – 0
13.4%
1 – 1
13.3%
0 – 0
12.3%
2 – 0
Actual
2 – 1
8.6%
0 – 1
7.5%
1 – 2
5.1%
3 – 0
4.7%
3 – 1
4.2%
2 – 2
3.8%
0 – 2
3.6%
3 – 2
1.9%
Asian Handicap — Watford FC
| Handicap | Watford FC covers | Push | Birmingham City FC covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 10% | — | 90% |
| -2 | 10% | 15% | 75% |
| -1.5 | 25% | — | 75% |
| -1 | 25% | 24% | 51% |
| -0.5 | 49% | — | 51% |
| +0.5 | 79% | — | 21% |
| +1 | 79% | 14% | 7% |
| +1.5 | 93% | — | 7% |
| +2 | 93% | 5% | 2% |
| +2.5 | 98% | — | 2% |
Clean Sheet
Watford FC keeps clean sheet
43%
✗
Birmingham City FC keeps clean sheet
25%
✓
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.