Watford FC vs Preston North End FC, Championship 2024-25 REGULAR SEASON
Overview
Match Preview
Watford FC vs Preston North End FC — Championship at Vicarage Road.
- Watford FC 15 games · 15 pts (2026/27)
- Preston North End FC 15 games · 8 pts (2026/27)
Match Details
- Referee Tom Nield
- Assistant 1 Alex James (England)
- Assistant 2
6 games this season
🟨 2.5/game
⚽ 4.5 goals/game
🟥 1 total
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
Recent Form
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Jan | Preston North End FC | H | 1–2 | L |
| 18 Jan | Derby County FC | A | 2–0 | W |
| 14 Jan | Cardiff City FC | A | 1–1 | D |
| 09 Jan | Fulham FC | A | 1–4 | L |
| 04 Jan | Sheffield United FC | H | 1–2 | L |
| 01 Jan | Queens Park Rangers FC | A | 1–3 | L |
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Jan | Watford FC | A | 2–1 | W |
| 18 Jan | Luton Town FC | A | 0–0 | D |
| 14 Jan | Charlton Athletic FC | H | 2–1 | W |
| 04 Jan | Oxford United FC | H | 1–1 | D |
| 01 Jan | West Bromwich Albion FC | A | 1–3 | L |
| 29 Dec | Sheffield Wednesday FC | H | 3–1 | W |
Season Stats
| Watford FC | Preston North End FC | |
|---|---|---|
| #20 | Position | #24 |
| 15 | Points | 8 |
| 15 | Played | 15 |
| 4 / 3 / 8 | W / D / L | 2 / 2 / 11 |
| 13 | Scored | 13 |
| 23 | Conceded | 30 |
| -10 | GD | -17 |
| 1.00 | PPG | 0.53 |
| 27% | Win % | 13% |
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
7%
Clean Sheets
Preston North End FC this season
Preston North End FC this season
Watford FC are 20th (15 pts). Preston North End FC are 24th (8 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
Preston North End FC
0-15
4/3
16-30
2/3
31-45
2/6
46-60
1/3
61-75
–/4
76+
4/9
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Top Scorers (This Season)
Watford FC
| Amin Nabizada | 3 G |
| Iker Bravo | 1 G |
| Luca Kjerrumgaard | 1 G |
Preston North End FC
| Callum Lang | 4 G |
| Jordan Thompson | 1 G |
| Jusef Erabi | 1 G |
Events
Match Events
- 0' The game is set. Preston North End FC kicks off things out of here…
- 5' Watford FC are deployed in a 3-4-2-1 today, looking to exploit space against Preston North End FC's 3-4-2-1 shape.
- 10' It is a cagey affair so far. Watford FC in their 3-4-2-1 trying to find a way past Preston North End FC's compact 3-4-2-1.
- 15' The Watford FC bench stirs into life. Kwadwo Baah is withdrawn and Festy Ebosele gets his opportunity.
- 17' A goal from the Montenegro international Milutin Osmajic! He fires home on 17 to make it 0-1!
- 22' 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.
- 27' Jordan Storey is having his name booked by the referee on 27.
- 32' Matchday of the Array and both teams know exactly what is at stake tonight.
- 37' The travelling Preston North End FC supporters hardly appreciate their team being pressed down to the backline.
- 42' It’s high time Paul Heckingbottom made some changes to put the his team’s game back to action.
- 46' The crowd applauds James Abankwah as he leaves the pitch. Yasser Larouci steps in for Watford FC.
- 51' The midfield battle is intense right now. Both Watford FC and Preston North End FC are fighting for every inch of the pitch.
- 53' It is a substitution in Watford FC team. Festy Ebosele is replaced by Giorgi Chakvetadze on 53 minute.
- 56' Clinical. Composed. Brilliant. Milutin Osmajic makes it 0-2.
- 61' Not even hints on scoring a goal over the last 61 minutes.
- 66' While there is no rush on the pitch, let’s have a look at some stats. Robbie Brady made 357 appearances and scored 8 goals. He is very likely to score a goal today.
- 67' Duane Holmes is ready to make an impact after coming on for Ryan Ledson at the 67 minute mark.
- 71' Controversy at the stadium! Stefan Teitur Thordarson argues furiously but the card stands.
- 72' A tactical swap from Preston North End FC — Robbie Brady on, Jayden Meghoma off on 72 minutes.
- 73' The Preston North End FC bench stirs into life. Mads Frokjaer-Jensen is withdrawn and Sam Greenwood gets his opportunity.
- 77' Time for substitution for Watford FC. Edo Kayembe is replaced by Mamadou Doumbia.
- 82' Jayden Meghoma, a England defender, has 0 bookings this season and will need to keep his discipline tonight.
- 87' Jonathan Bond is a natural and has been asked to do a very specific job for Watford FC tonight.
- 90' Rocco Vata has been a constant threat and now delivers with a goal on 90 minutes.
- 90' Stefan Teitur Thordarson makes way for Liam Lindsay at the 90 minute mark. A tactical switch from Preston North End FC.
- 1-2 the final result. Watford FC will be bitterly disappointed.
Lineups
Watford FC Lineups
3-4-2-1Starting XI
- 23
- 17
- 3
-
39
Edo Kayembe ↓ Mamadou Doumbia 77'
- 19
- 6
-
10
Imran Louza ↓ Tom Dele-Bashiru 77'
-
34
Kwadwo Baah ↓ Festy Ebosele 15'
- 2
-
25
James Abankwah ↓ Yasser Larouci 46'
- 11
Bench
- 7
- 21
- 5
- 8
-
24
Tom Dele-Bashiru ↑ 77'
-
37
Yasser Larouci ↑ 46'
-
36
Festy Ebosele ↑ 15'
- 40
-
20
Mamadou Doumbia ↑ 77'
Coach
Tom Cleverley
Preston North End FC Lineups
3-4-2-1Starting XI
- 16
-
18
Ryan Ledson ↓ Duane Holmes 67'
- 14
- 8
- 28
- 1
- 19
- 29
- 22
- 10
-
3
Jayden Meghoma ↓ Robbie Brady 72'
Bench
- 5
-
11
Robbie Brady ↑ 72'
-
25
Duane Holmes ↑ 67'
-
6
Liam Lindsay ↑ 90'
- 7
- 12
- 13
-
9
Emil Riis Jakobsen ↑ 73'
-
20
Sam Greenwood ↑ 73'
Coach
Paul Heckingbottom
H2H
H2H Top Scorers
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Milutin Osmajic | 4 |
| Joao Pedro | 2 |
| Edo Kayembe | 2 |
| Vakoun Issouf Bayo | 2 |
| Ismael Kone | 1 |
| Alistair McCann | 1 |
| Tom Barkhuizen | 1 |
| Nathaniel Chalobah | 1 |
Head to Head
Watford FC Form
Preston North End FC Form
2025-01-21
Watford FC
1–2
Preston North End FC
W
2025-01-18
Luton Town FC
0–0
Preston North End FC
D
2025-01-14
Preston North End FC
2–1
Charlton Athletic FC
W
2025-01-04
Preston North End FC
1–1
Oxford United FC
D
2025-01-01
West Bromwich Albion FC
3–1
Preston North End FC
L
2024-12-29
Preston North End FC
3–1
Sheffield Wednesday FC
W
Predictions
Prediction accuracy
0 / 4
1.25
Watford FC xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
1.16
Preston North End FC xG
I would bet for:
Watford FC or Preston North End FC 70% + Under 2.5 goals 57%
Match Result
✗ WrongActual: Preston North End FC win
Both Teams to Score
✗ Wrong
Avg goals/match: 2.41
Actual: Yes — both scored
Over / Under Goals
✗ O/U 2.5| Line | Over | Under | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ± 0.5 | 89% |
|
11% |
| ± 1.5 | 70% |
|
30% |
| ± 2.5 | 43% |
|
57% |
| ± 3.5 | 23% |
|
77% |
| ± 4.5 | 10% |
|
90% |
Double Chance
Watford FC or Draw
65%
Draw or Preston North End FC
64%
Watford FC or Preston North End FC
70%
Half-Time Result
✗ WrongActual: Preston North End FC win at HT
Correct Score
✓ In top 12
1 – 1
14%
0 – 0
11.1%
1 – 0
10.1%
0 – 1
9.2%
2 – 1
7.9%
1 – 2
Actual
2 – 0
6.8%
0 – 2
5.8%
2 – 2
4.7%
3 – 1
3.3%
1 – 3
2.8%
3 – 0
2.8%
Asian Handicap — Watford FC
| Handicap | Watford FC covers | Push | Preston North End FC covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 6% | — | 94% |
| -2 | 6% | 11% | 83% |
| -1.5 | 17% | — | 83% |
| -1 | 17% | 20% | 63% |
| -0.5 | 37% | — | 63% |
| +0.5 | 68% | — | 32% |
| +1 | 68% | 19% | 14% |
| +1.5 | 86% | — | 14% |
| +2 | 86% | 9% | 4% |
| +2.5 | 96% | — | 4% |
Clean Sheet
Watford FC keeps clean sheet
32%
✓
Preston North End FC keeps clean sheet
29%
✓
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.