Watford FC vs Blackburn Rovers FC, Championship 2023-24 REGULAR SEASON
Overview
Match Preview
Watford FC vs Blackburn Rovers FC — Championship at Vicarage Road.
- Watford FC 8 games · 8 pts (2026/27)
- Blackburn Rovers FC 8 games · 9 pts (2026/27)
Match Details
- Referee Gavin Ward
- Assistant 1 Gregory Read (England)
- Assistant 2 Alex James (England)
5 games this season
🟨 1.6/game
⚽ 6.8 goals/game
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 08 May | Stoke City FC | H | 2–0 | W |
| 29 Apr | Sunderland AFC | A | 2–2 | D |
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Aug | Watford FC | A | 1–0 | W |
| 19 Aug | Hull City AFC | H | 1–2 | L |
| 12 Aug | Rotherham United FC | A | 2–2 | D |
| 05 Aug | West Bromwich Albion FC | H | 2–1 | W |
| 08 May | Millwall FC | A | 4–3 | W |
| 01 May | Luton Town FC | H | 1–1 | D |
Season Stats
| Watford FC | Blackburn Rovers FC | |
|---|---|---|
| #20 | Position | #16 |
| 8 | Points | 9 |
| 8 | Played | 8 |
| 2 / 2 / 4 | W / D / L | 2 / 3 / 3 |
| 7 | Scored | 12 |
| 10 | Conceded | 12 |
| -3 | GD | +0 |
| 1.00 | PPG | 1.13 |
| 25% | Win % | 25% |
Key Stats
60%
Both Teams to Score
H2H (10 games)
H2H (10 games)
40%
Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
H2H history
0%
Clean Sheets
Watford FC this season
Watford FC this season
13%
Clean Sheets
Blackburn Rovers FC this season
Blackburn Rovers FC this season
Watford FC are 20th (8 pts). Blackburn Rovers FC are 16th (9 pts).
Goal Timing (This Season)
Watford FC
0-15
2/2
16-30
2/2
31-45
–/3
46-60
–/2
61-75
1/–
76+
2/–
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Blackburn Rovers FC
0-15
1/3
16-30
2/2
31-45
1/2
46-60
6/2
61-75
–/2
76+
1/1
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Top Scorers (This Season)
Watford FC
| Amin Nabizada | 3 G |
| Iker Bravo | 1 G |
| Luca Kjerrumgaard | 1 G |
Blackburn Rovers FC
| Oladapo Afolayan | 3 G | 2 A |
| Andri Gudjohnsen | 3 G | 1 A |
| Sean McLoughlin | 1 G |
Events
Match Events
- 0' We are underway at Vicarage Road. The crowd does wile while the referee lows the starting whistle.
- 5' With 0 assists to his name this season, Andrew Moran is clearly more than just a goal scorer for Watford FC.
- 10' 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 Harry Leonard suffering a number of foals already.
- 15' Spectators are craving for more action. Both teams play very cautiously. They need to put some more energy.
- 20' Neither side is committing men forward. This has all the hallmarks of a tense, tactical contest.
- 24' The referee does not hesitate — a Yellow card for Wesley Hoedt on 24 minutes.
- 29' England international Aynsley Pears has been a key figure this campaign — 0 goals and 0 assists in the Array this season.
- 34' Blackburn Rovers FC come into this ranked in Array. They desperately need points to push themselves up the standings.
- 39' Supporters expect more eagerness from Wesley Hoedt, as he is very good at scoring at Vicarage Road with 3 goals in the last 3 games.
- 44' Tom Dele-Bashiru is putting in a real shift tonight. He has covered more ground than anyone else for Blackburn Rovers FC so far.
- 46' The crowd applauds Ismael Kone as he leaves the pitch. Imran Louza steps in for Watford FC.
- 51' named a 4-3-3 earlier, and opted for a 4-2-3-1 in response. A fascinating tactical duel is developing.
- 55' Another substitution for Watford FC to replace Tom Dele-Bashiru by Giorgi Chakvetadze on 55 minute.
- 56' The Watford FC bench stirs into life. Vakoun Bayo is withdrawn and Mileta Rajovic gets his opportunity.
- 57' It is a substitution in Blackburn Rovers FC team. Tyrhys Dolan is replaced by Andrew Moran on 57 minute.
- 62' The energy levels are beginning to show. Valerien Ismael might look to freshen things up shortly.
- 63' The referee shows Blackburn Rovers FC player a Yellow card on 63.
- 64' Poor challenge from Dominic Hyam. The referee spots it immediately and shows the Yellow card.
- 69' The referee reaches into his pocket. Out comes the Yellow card for Imran Louza.
- 72' Ryan Hedges doubles the advantage! 0-1 and this game is slipping away from the opposition.
- 73' A tactical swap from Watford FC — Tom Ince on, Yaser Asprilla off on 73 minutes.
- 77' The referee has no hesitation. Joe Rankin-Costello is booked for Blackburn Rovers FC — Yellow card on 77.
- 77' The Blackburn Rovers FC manager makes a substitution. Joe Rankin-Costello departs to be replaced by Scott Wharton.
- 80' Jeremy Ngakia gets the nod from Watford FC. He replaces Ryan Andrews and will look to change the dynamic.
- 85' Blackburn Rovers FC are happy to let the opposition have the ball in their own half. The trap is set.
- 90' A change in the Blackburn Rovers FC ranks — Lewis Travis exits the field as Jake Garrett enters on 90.
- Time to leave. No sensation happened. Another win for Blackburn Rovers FC players.
Lineups
Watford FC Lineups
4-3-3Starting XI
- 12
- 4
- 1
- 5
- 39
- 19
- 24
- 37
-
11
Ismael Kone ↓ Imran Louza 46'
-
18
Yaser Asprilla ↓ Tom Ince 73'
-
45
Ryan Andrews ↓ Jeremy Ngakia 80'
Bench
- 26
- 8
-
7
Tom Ince ↑ 73'
-
16
Giorgi Chakvetadze ↑ 55'
- 15
-
10
Imran Louza ↑ 46'
-
2
Jeremy Ngakia ↑ 80'
- 42
-
9
Mileta Rajovic ↑ 56'
Coach
Valerien Ismael
Blackburn Rovers FC Lineups
4-2-3-1Starting XI
- 2
- 1
- 19
-
27
Lewis Travis ↓ Jake Garrett 90'
- 11
- 8
- 5
- 17
-
10
Tyrhys Dolan ↓ Andrew Moran 57'
-
20
Harry Leonard ↓ Sam Gallagher 57'
- 23
Bench
-
9
Sam Gallagher ↑ 57'
-
16
Scott Wharton ↑ 77'
- 6
- 18
-
30
Jake Garrett ↑ 90'
-
24
Andrew Moran ↑ 57'
- 12
- –
- 15
Coach
Jon Dahl Tomasson
H2H
H2H Top Scorers
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Ryan Hedges | 2 |
| Ben Brereton | 2 |
| Joao Pedro | 2 |
| Matthew Pollock | 1 |
| Dominic Hyam | 1 |
| Bradley Dack | 1 |
| Wesley Hoedt | 1 |
| Darragh Lenihan | 1 |
Head to Head
Watford FC Form
Blackburn Rovers FC Form
2023-08-27
Watford FC
0–1
Blackburn Rovers FC
W
2023-08-19
Blackburn Rovers FC
1–2
Hull City AFC
L
2023-08-12
Rotherham United FC
2–2
Blackburn Rovers FC
D
2023-08-05
Blackburn Rovers FC
2–1
West Bromwich Albion FC
W
2023-05-08
Millwall FC
3–4
Blackburn Rovers FC
W
2023-05-01
Blackburn Rovers FC
1–1
Luton Town FC
D
Predictions
Prediction accuracy
3 / 4
1.22
Watford FC xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
1.28
Blackburn Rovers FC xG
I would bet for:
Watford FC or Blackburn Rovers FC 70%
Match Result
✓ CorrectActual: Blackburn Rovers FC win
Both Teams to Score
✗ Wrong
Avg goals/match: 2.5
Actual: No — clean sheet
Over / Under Goals
✓ O/U 2.5| Line | Over | Under | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ± 0.5 | 90% |
|
10% |
| ± 1.5 | 71% |
|
29% |
| ± 2.5 | 45% |
|
55% |
| ± 3.5 | 24% |
|
76% |
| ± 4.5 | 11% |
|
89% |
Double Chance
Watford FC or Draw
64%
Draw or Blackburn Rovers FC
66%
Watford FC or Blackburn Rovers FC
70%
Half-Time Result
✓ CorrectActual: Draw at HT
Correct Score
✓ In top 12
1 – 1
13.8%
0 – 0
10.4%
0 – 1
Actual
1 – 0
8.9%
1 – 2
7.9%
2 – 1
7.5%
0 – 2
6.6%
2 – 0
5.9%
2 – 2
4.9%
1 – 3
3.4%
3 – 1
3.1%
0 – 3
2.8%
Asian Handicap — Watford FC
| Handicap | Watford FC covers | Push | Blackburn Rovers FC covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 5% | — | 95% |
| -2 | 5% | 10% | 85% |
| -1.5 | 15% | — | 85% |
| -1 | 15% | 19% | 67% |
| -0.5 | 33% | — | 67% |
| +0.5 | 64% | — | 36% |
| +1 | 64% | 20% | 17% |
| +1.5 | 83% | — | 17% |
| +2 | 83% | 11% | 6% |
| +2.5 | 94% | — | 6% |
Clean Sheet
Watford FC keeps clean sheet
29%
✓
Blackburn Rovers FC keeps clean sheet
30%
✗
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.