Watford FC vs Middlesbrough FC, Championship 2026 REGULAR SEASON
Overview
Match Preview
Watford FC vs Middlesbrough FC — Championship at Vicarage Road Stadium.
- Watford FC 8 games · 8 pts (2026/27)
- Middlesbrough FC 8 games · 15 pts (2026/27)
Match Details
- Referee Joshua Smith
- Referee Nigel Lugg
- Referee Ian Cooper
- Referee Keith Stroud
7 games this season
🟨 3.6/game
⚽ 11.6 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
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 | |
|---|---|---|
| #20 | Position | #3 |
| 8 | Points | 15 |
| 8 | Played | 8 |
| 2 / 2 / 4 | W / D / L | 4 / 3 / 1 |
| 7 | Scored | 16 |
| 10 | Conceded | 12 |
| -3 | GD | +4 |
| 1.00 | PPG | 1.88 |
| 25% | Win % | 50% |
Key Stats
60%
Both Teams to Score
H2H (10 games)
H2H (10 games)
60%
Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
H2H history
0%
Clean Sheets
Watford FC this season
Watford FC this season
13%
Clean Sheets
Middlesbrough FC this season
Middlesbrough FC this season
Watford FC are 20th (8 pts). Middlesbrough FC are 3rd (15 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
Middlesbrough FC
0-15
3/3
16-30
2/–
31-45
2/1
46-60
2/4
61-75
3/3
76+
4/–
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Top Scorers (This Season)
Watford FC
| Amin Nabizada | 3 G |
| Iker Bravo | 1 G |
| Luca Kjerrumgaard | 1 G |
Middlesbrough FC
| William Lankshear | 6 G |
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' Middlesbrough FC fans have not had much to celebrate tonight. Their side is struggling to get forward.
- 10' Watford FC currently sit in the Array table. A result here could be decisive in the race for the top positions.
- 11' Against the run of play, Craig Cathcart has scored! This game has turned on its head.
- 16' Grant Hall has been relatively quiet despite scoring 11 goals in his last 383 appearances.
- 21' Middlesbrough FC are keeping things exceptionally tight at the back. It will take something special to break them down.
- 26' Christian Kabasele, a Belgium , has 13 bookings this season and will need to keep his discipline tonight.
- 31' A quiet spell here at Vicarage Road Stadium. Watford FC seem content sitting deep and soaking up pressure.
- 36' The Array continues to deliver drama. Both Watford FC and Middlesbrough FC are desperate not to drop points on matchday .
- 41' Watford FC is showing some good football. However, Watford 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' Both keepers have barely been tested. Watford FC and Middlesbrough FC are cancelling each other out in the centre of the park.
- 51' will be watching from the dugout nervously. His Watford FC side need to improve if they are to claim all three points.
- 56' We are waiting for someone to take the initiative. Who will be the first to commit to attack?
- 61' It looks like no one’s ball. Middlesbrough FC is used to counterattacking playing. None of the sides are ready to take the lead.
- 66' The whistle greets Ken Sema as he departs to be replaced by Glenn Murray.
- 71' Although teams showed high tempo form the start, they seem to slow down a bit. Both sides really need to catch a fire. Otherwise, we have another goalless match.
- 75' A tactical swap from Watford FC — Marc Navarro on, Femenia Far off on 75 minutes.
- 78' Middlesbrough FC ring the changes. George Saville has done his job and it is now time for Lewis Wing to step up.
- 83' Femenia Far is a natural and has been asked to do a very specific job for Middlesbrough FC tonight.
- 85' That is a Yellow card for Watford FC. Ben Wilmot will be fuming at that decision.
- 90' Watford FC started playing very sharply right from the kick off. However, it slowed down the tempo rapidly by 90.
- Middlesbrough FC will have plenty to reflect on. Watford FC were simply the better side today.
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 |
| Tommy Conway | 2 |
| Wesley Hoedt | 2 |
| Vakoun Issouf Bayo | 2 |
| Riley McGree | 2 |
| Morgan Whittaker | 2 |
| James Abankwah | 1 |
| Emmanuel Latte Lath | 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
1.27
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: 2.3
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
12.3%
0 – 1
11.6%
1 – 0
Actual
1 – 2
8%
0 – 2
7.8%
2 – 1
6.5%
2 – 0
5.1%
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% | 17% | 72% |
| -0.5 | 28% | — | 72% |
| +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.