Watford FC vs Middlesbrough FC, Championship 2026 REGULAR SEASON
Overview
Match Preview
Watford FC vs Middlesbrough FC — Championship at Vicarage Road Stadium.
- Watford FC 46 games · 57 pts (2026/27)
- Middlesbrough FC 46 games · 80 pts (2026/27)
Match Details
- Referee Joshua Smith
- Referee Nigel Lugg
- Referee Ian Cooper
- Referee Keith Stroud
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
Last 5 meetings
Recent Form
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Sep | Middlesbrough FC | H | 1–0 | W |
| 26 Jul | Arsenal FC | A | 2–3 | L |
| 21 Jul | Manchester City FC | H | 0–4 | L |
| 17 Jul | West Ham United FC | A | 1–3 | L |
| 11 Jul | Newcastle United FC | H | 2–1 | W |
| 07 Jul | Norwich City FC | H | 2–1 | W |
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Sep | Watford FC | A | 0–1 | L |
| 22 Jul | Sheffield Wednesday FC | A | 2–1 | W |
| 18 Jul | Cardiff City FC | H | 1–3 | L |
| 14 Jul | Reading FC | A | 2–1 | W |
| 11 Jul | Bristol City FC | H | 1–3 | L |
| 08 Jul | Millwall FC | A | 2–0 | W |
Season Stats
| Watford FC | Middlesbrough FC | |
|---|---|---|
| #16 | Position | #5 |
| 57 | Points | 80 |
| 46 | Played | 46 |
| 14 / 15 / 17 | W / D / L | 22 / 14 / 10 |
| 53 | Scored | 72 |
| 65 | Conceded | 47 |
| -12 | GD | +25 |
| 1.24 | PPG | 1.74 |
| 30% | Win % | 48% |
Key Stats
60%
Both Teams to Score
H2H (10 games)
H2H (10 games)
60%
Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
H2H history
Watford FC are 16th (57 pts). Middlesbrough FC are 5th (80 pts).
Events
Match Events
- 0' The referee blows the starting whistle. The fans are roaring. The teams are ready for the match. Watford FC is hosting Middlesbrough FC for another epic battle.
- 5' Anfernee Dijksteel has been disciplined this evening — perhaps mindful of those 0 cards already picked up this season.
- 10' Watford FC currently sit in the Array table. A result here could be decisive in the race for the top positions.
- 11' Watford FC is taking the lead after the goal scored by Craig Cathcart on 11.
- 16' Over 16 minutes have gone by without a meaningful attack. The supporters want more.
- 21' Femenia Far, a Spain , has 1 bookings this season and will need to keep his discipline tonight.
- 26' The tempo has dropped considerably in the last few minutes. Vladimir Ivic will be considering his options from the bench.
- 31' Not even hints on scoring a goal over the last 31 minutes.
- 36' Middlesbrough FC is defending very well tonight not leaving a chance for their rivals to get through for a goal.
- 41' We miss some good tackles and strikes. Is there anyone on the field to put the game back to action?
- 46' A moment of individual brilliance could settle this. Both teams are waiting for that decisive action.
- 51' It is a cagey affair so far. Watford FC in their trying to find a way past Middlesbrough FC's compact .
- 56' It’s high time Neil Warnock made some changes to put the his team’s game back to action.
- 61' Marcus Tavernier has been one of the livelier players on the pitch with 0 goals to his name this season.
- 66' Glenn Murray gets the nod from Watford FC. He replaces Ken Sema and will look to change the dynamic.
- 71' Watford FC are deployed in a today, looking to exploit space against Middlesbrough FC's shape.
- 75' A tactical swap from Watford FC — Marc Navarro on, Femenia Far off on 75 minutes.
- 78' The crowd applauds George Saville as he leaves the pitch. Lewis Wing steps in for Middlesbrough FC.
- 83' While players are taking a pause, let’s have a look at their stats. The teams met 0 times this season with winning -% of all matches.
- 85' Ben Wilmot was booked on 85.
- 90' Ben Foster is putting in a real shift tonight. He has covered more ground than anyone else for Middlesbrough FC so far.
- Hope, you loved the show. Another epic battle is over with the score 1-0.
Lineups
Watford FC Lineups
Starting XI
-
12
Ken Sema ↓ Glenn Murray 66'
- 6
- 1
- 15
- 27
- 8
-
21
Femenia Far ↓ Marc Navarro 75'
- 14
- 20
- 10
- 3
Bench
-
32
Marc Navarro ↑ 75'
-
17
Glenn Murray ↑ 66'
- 34
- 33
- 31
- 26
Coach
Vladimir Ivic
Middlesbrough FC Lineups
Starting XI
- 1
- 4
- 3
- 17
- 11
- 16
- 9
-
22
George Saville ↓ Lewis Wing 78'
- 7
- 29
- 2
Bench
- 42
- 6
-
8
Lewis Wing ↑ 78'
- 15
- 27
- 12
- 33
Coach
Neil Warnock
H2H
H2H Top Scorers
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Ismaila Sarr | 3 |
| Riley McGree | 2 |
| Morgan Whittaker | 2 |
| Tommy Conway | 2 |
| Wesley Hoedt | 2 |
| Vakoun Issouf Bayo | 2 |
| Marcus Forss | 1 |
| Moussa Sissoko | 1 |
Head to Head
Watford FC Form
Middlesbrough FC Form
Predictions
Prediction accuracy
3 / 4
1.03
Watford FC xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
1.26
Middlesbrough FC xG
I would bet for:
Watford FC or Middlesbrough FC 71% + Under 2.5 goals 60%
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
65%
Draw or Middlesbrough FC
64%
Watford FC or Middlesbrough FC
71%
Half-Time Result
✗ WrongActual: Watford FC win at HT
Correct Score
✓ In top 12
1 – 1
14.1%
0 – 0
12.4%
0 – 1
11.6%
1 – 0
Actual
1 – 2
8%
0 – 2
7.7%
2 – 1
6.5%
2 – 0
5.2%
2 – 2
4.2%
1 – 3
3.4%
0 – 3
3.2%
3 – 1
2.3%
Asian Handicap — Watford FC
| Handicap | Watford FC covers | Push | Middlesbrough FC covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 3% | — | 97% |
| -2 | 3% | 8% | 89% |
| -1.5 | 11% | — | 89% |
| -1 | 11% | 18% | 71% |
| -0.5 | 29% | — | 71% |
| +0.5 | 60% | — | 40% |
| +1 | 60% | 22% | 18% |
| +1.5 | 82% | — | 18% |
| +2 | 82% | 12% | 6% |
| +2.5 | 94% | — | 6% |
Clean Sheet
Watford FC keeps clean sheet
29%
✗
Middlesbrough FC keeps clean sheet
36%
✓
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.