Watford FC vs Middlesbrough FC, Championship 2026 REGULAR SEASON
Overview
Match Preview
Watford FC vs Middlesbrough FC — Championship at Vicarage Road Stadium.
- Watford FC 15 games · 15 pts (2026/27)
- Middlesbrough FC 15 games · 29 pts (2026/27)
Match Details
- Referee Joshua Smith
- Referee Nigel Lugg
- Referee Ian Cooper
- Referee Keith Stroud
8 games this season
🟨 4.4/game
⚽ 13.5 goals/game
Standings
| # | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham City FC | 15 | 29 |
| 2 | Middlesbrough FC | 15 | 29 |
| 3 | Stoke City FC | 15 | 29 |
| 4 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 15 | 28 |
| 5 | West Bromwich Albion FC | 15 | 28 |
| 6 | Swansea City AFC | 15 | 26 |
| 7 | Southampton FC | 15 | 24 |
| 8 | Queens Park Rangers FC | 15 | 24 |
| 9 | West Ham United FC | 15 | 23 |
| 10 | Sheffield United FC | 15 | 22 |
| 11 | Portsmouth FC | 15 | 22 |
| 12 | Norwich City FC | 15 | 21 |
| 13 | Blackburn Rovers FC | 15 | 21 |
| 14 | Cardiff City FC | 15 | 18 |
| 15 | Wrexham AFC | 15 | 18 |
| 16 | Millwall FC | 15 | 18 |
| 17 | Bristol City FC | 15 | 18 |
| 18 | Bolton Wanderers FC | 15 | 17 |
| 19 | Charlton Athletic FC | 15 | 17 |
| 20 | Watford FC | 15 | 15 |
| 21 | Lincoln City FC | 15 | 15 |
| 22 | Burnley FC | 15 | 10 |
| 23 | Derby County FC | 15 | 10 |
| 24 | Preston North End FC | 15 | 8 |
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 | #2 |
| 15 | Points | 29 |
| 15 | Played | 15 |
| 4 / 3 / 8 | W / D / L | 8 / 5 / 2 |
| 13 | Scored | 30 |
| 23 | Conceded | 19 |
| -10 | GD | +11 |
| 1.00 | PPG | 1.93 |
| 27% | Win % | 53% |
Key Stats
55%
Both Teams to Score
H2H (11 games)
H2H (11 games)
55%
Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
H2H history
20%
Clean Sheets
Watford FC this season
Watford FC this season
27%
Clean Sheets
Middlesbrough FC this season
Middlesbrough FC this season
Watford FC are 20th (15 pts). Middlesbrough FC are 2nd (29 pts).
Goal Timing (This Season)
Watford FC
0-15
3/4
16-30
3/4
31-45
–/6
46-60
2/3
61-75
1/2
76+
4/2
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Middlesbrough FC
0-15
5/3
16-30
2/1
31-45
4/3
46-60
5/4
61-75
6/4
76+
7/2
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Top Scorers (This Season)
Watford FC
| Amin Nabizada | 3 G |
| Iker Bravo | 1 G |
| Luca Kjerrumgaard | 1 G |
Middlesbrough FC
| William Lankshear | 13 G | |
| Amario Cozier-Duberry | 3 G | 4 A |
Events
Match Events
- 0' The match kicks off with home fans waiting with anticipation for Watford FC to score. At the same time, Middlesbrough FC does not seem to pull back! Let’s get it on!
- 5' A quiet spell here at Vicarage Road Stadium. Watford FC seem content sitting deep and soaking up pressure.
- 10' Jonathan Howson is a natural and has been asked to do a very specific job for Middlesbrough FC tonight.
- 11' Craig Cathcart doubles the advantage! 1-0 and this game is slipping away from the opposition.
- 16' The 31-year-old Lewis Wing has been sensational this season — 0 goals and 2 assists is a remarkable return.
- 21' The clock is ticking and both teams know a goal could change everything at this point.
- 26' Supporters expect more eagerness from Marvin Johnson, as he is very good at scoring at Vicarage Road Stadium with 0 goals in the last 0 games.
- 31' Watford FC are enjoying more possession but struggling to find a way through a disciplined Middlesbrough FC backline.
- 36' named a earlier, and opted for a in response. A fascinating tactical duel is developing.
- 41' Watford FC are deployed in a today, looking to exploit space against Middlesbrough FC's shape.
- 46' will be watching from the dugout nervously. His Watford FC side need to improve if they are to claim all three points.
- 51' While players are taking a pause, let’s have a look at their stats. The teams met 1 times this season with Middlesbrough FC winning 0% of all matches.
- 56' The teams are not in a rush to score plenty of goals. It might look strange considering Watford FC that had 373 games and scored 406 goals.
- 61' Both teams are passing the ball around with high level of urgency. Watford FC needs to do something about it to get closer to the goal.
- 66' The crowd applauds Ken Sema as he leaves the pitch. Glenn Murray steps in for Watford FC.
- 71' Middlesbrough FC are keeping things exceptionally tight at the back. It will take something special to break them down.
- 75' Watford FC manager makes another effort to make the tables turned. Marc Navarro is hanging Femenia Far on the field on 75 minute.
- 78' Lewis Wing gets the nod from Middlesbrough FC. He replaces George Saville and will look to change the dynamic.
- 83' Spectators do not have much to choose from both teams. The sides had several scoring chances but they still need a bit more than just a sight of a goal.
- 85' That looks like a foul for a Yellow card for Ben Wilmot.
- 90' The Array continues to deliver drama. Both Watford FC and Middlesbrough FC are desperate not to drop points on matchday .
- 1-0 the final result. Middlesbrough FC will be bitterly disappointed.
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 |
| Vakoun Issouf Bayo | 2 |
| Riley McGree | 2 |
| Morgan Whittaker | 2 |
| Tommy Conway | 2 |
| Wesley Hoedt | 2 |
| Craig Cathcart | 1 |
| Alex Bangura | 1 |
Head to Head
Watford FC Form
Middlesbrough FC Form
Predictions
Prediction accuracy
2 / 4
0.94
Watford FC xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
1.44
Middlesbrough FC xG
I would bet for:
Watford FC or Middlesbrough FC 72% + Under 2.5 goals 58%
Match Result
✗ WrongActual: Watford FC win
Both Teams to Score
✓ Correct
Avg goals/match: 2.38
Actual: No — clean sheet
Over / Under Goals
✓ O/U 2.5| Line | Over | Under | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ± 0.5 | 89% |
|
11% |
| ± 1.5 | 69% |
|
31% |
| ± 2.5 | 42% |
|
58% |
| ± 3.5 | 22% |
|
78% |
| ± 4.5 | 10% |
|
90% |
Double Chance
Watford FC or Draw
60%
Draw or Middlesbrough FC
68%
Watford FC or Middlesbrough FC
72%
Half-Time Result
✗ WrongActual: Watford FC win at HT
Correct Score
✓ In top 12
1 – 1
13.4%
0 – 1
12.3%
0 – 0
11.4%
0 – 2
9.3%
1 – 2
8.7%
1 – 0
Actual
2 – 1
5.6%
0 – 3
4.4%
1 – 3
4.2%
2 – 2
4.2%
2 – 0
3.9%
2 – 3
2.1%
Asian Handicap — Watford FC
| Handicap | Watford FC covers | Push | Middlesbrough FC covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 2% | — | 98% |
| -2 | 2% | 6% | 92% |
| -1.5 | 8% | — | 92% |
| -1 | 8% | 15% | 77% |
| -0.5 | 23% | — | 77% |
| +0.5 | 53% | — | 47% |
| +1 | 53% | 23% | 24% |
| +1.5 | 76% | — | 24% |
| +2 | 76% | 14% | 9% |
| +2.5 | 91% | — | 9% |
Clean Sheet
Watford FC keeps clean sheet
25%
✗
Middlesbrough FC keeps clean sheet
40%
✓
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.