MX23RW : Saturday, April 27 01:16:21| >> :120:20386:20386:
[monks data]
Watford logo
Championship | Gameweek 44
Apr 24, 2021 at 3pm UK
Vicarage Road
Millwall logo

Watford
1 - 0
Millwall

Sarr (11' pen.)
FT(HT: 1-0)

Muller (86')

Preview: Watford vs. Millwall - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Championship clash between Watford and Millwall, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Watford can clinch promotion back to the Premier League this weekend should they beat out-of-form Millwall at Vicarage Road.

The Hornets need just three more points to guarantee a top-two finish, while Millwall are now jostling for position in the top half.


Match preview

Watford's Dan Gosling scores their first goal against Norwich City in the Championship on April 20, 2021© Reuters

A 1-0 loss to local rivals Luton Town last week appeared to open the door for the chasing pack to make up some ground on Watford, but that has not proved to be the case.

While others around them continue to stumble, the Hornets returned to winning ways with a 1-0 win at already-promoted Norwich City on Tuesday evening.

Dan Gosling converted a low Joao Pedro cross with just under an hour played at Carrow Road to finally beat Tim Krul, who produced a handful of good saves.

That win moves Watford to within five points of top spot, but the more immediate priority for Xisco's side is to seal a top-two finish, which they can achieve on Saturday.

Watford know that a ninth win in 11 league games will be enough to make certain of a return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Bournemouth's Arnaut Danjuma scores against Millwall in the Championship on April 21, 2021© Reuters

There is also the possibility of the Hornets going up with a draw, but they need Bournemouth and Brentford to draw in the early kickoff for that to happen.

However, a defeat for Watford could yet make things interesting as they face Brentford and Swansea City - two of the three sides directly below them - in their final two games.

Still, this is a match Xisco's men will be confident of winning, having taken all three points from their last seven Championship home games - their best run since 1977.

Millwall have gone off the boil in recent weeks, too, taking just one point from the last nine on offer.

The Lions have had a tough run, losing 3-0 to Swansea City and 4-1 to Bournemouth, either side of a stalemate against another promotion-chasing side in Brentford.

Gary Rowett's side are now aiming to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time this calendar year, though eighth place is now ultimately the best that they can hope for.

Millwall are winless in five away league matches against Watford (D1 L4) in a run stretching back to a 2-0 win back in March 2006, with goals from Carl Asaba and Ben May.

Watford Championship form:
  • W
  • W
  • D
  • W
  • L
  • W

Millwall Championship form:
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • L
  • D
  • L



Team News

Watford's Andre Gray celebrates scoring against Wycombe Wanderers in the Championship on March 3, 2021© Reuters

Xisco freshened up his side between the loss to Luton and win over Norwich and that paid off as Watford picked up arguably their best win yet.

Kiko Femenia missed out at Carrow Road through suspension but is now back in contention, leaving captain Troy Deeney as the hosts' only known injury concern.

Andre Gray is a contender to come into the front three, while Nathaniel Chalobah is another who will be hoping for a recall against Millwall.

As for the Lions, Rowett brought in Billy Mitchell - fresh on the back of signing a new deal - and Kenneth Zohore for the heavy loss to Bournemouth.

Murray Wallace and Mason Bennett remain fitness doubts, while Alex Pearce was substituted at half time in that heavy loss and will likely miss out on a starting spot here.

Jed Wallace scored Millwall's consolation in midweek to make it 10 goals for the campaign, which should see him retain his spot up top.

Watford possible starting lineup:
Bachmann; Femenia, Sierralta, Troost-Ekong, Masina; Zinckernagel, Hughes, Chalobah; Sarr, Pedro, Sema

Millwall possible starting lineup:
Bialkowski; Evans, Pearce, Cooper; McNamara, Kieftenbeld, Woods, Mitchell, Malone; Wallace, Bradshaw


SM words green background

We say: Watford 2-0 Millwall

Watford will know ahead of kickoff exactly what is required to earn promotion - one point or all three.

Either way, this is a game that we expect the Hornets to win against a Millwall side with little left to play for, which is reflected in their recent results.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data



ID:444343:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect9385:

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Watford win with a probability of 55.33%. A draw had a probability of 26.1% and a win for Millwall had a probability of 18.53%.

The most likely scoreline for a Watford win was 1-0 with a probability of 15.87%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (11.92%) and 2-1 (8.89%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.82%), while for a Millwall win it was 0-1 (7.87%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 15.9% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Watford in this match.


Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Game History

How you voted: Watford vs Millwall

Watford
82.0%
Draw
11.2%
Millwall
6.7%
89
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Millwall manager Gary Rowett pictured in February 2021
Read Next:
Gary Rowett talks up Millwall's second-half performance in Stoke win
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
1pm
Bublik
Carballes Baena
10am
Auger-Aliassime
Mannarino
10am
Bautista Agut
Khachanov
10am
Cachin
Tiafoe
10am
De Minaur
Nadal
10am
Dimitrov
Mensik
10am
Jarry
Cobolli
10am
Kecmanovic
Ruud
10am
Kotov
Thompson
10am
Lehecka
Medjedovic
10am
Machac
Shelton
10am
Medvedev
Arnaldi
10am
Monteiro
Tsitsipas
10am
Norrie
Fonseca
10am
Purcell
Korda
10am
Sinner
Sonego
10am
Azarenka
Sorribes Tormo
10am
Annie Fernandez
Jabeur
10am
Gauff
Yastremska
10am
Haddad Maia
Navarro
10am
Keys
Samsonova
10am
Ostapenko
Lourdes Carle
10am
Stephens
Sakkari
10am
Swiatek
Cirstea
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
2Leeds UnitedLeeds45279980413990
3Ipswich TownIpswich432611685533289
4Southampton442591085612484
5West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom4420121267442372
6Norwich CityNorwich442191477611672
7Hull City441912136556969
8Coventry CityCoventry4317121468551363
9Middlesbrough44189176460463
10Preston North EndPreston44189175661-563
11Cardiff CityCardiff44195205061-1162
12Bristol City441611175147459
13Sunderland44168205251156
14Swansea CitySwansea441511185762-556
15Watford441217155958153
16Queens Park RangersQPR451411204557-1253
17Millwall441411194355-1253
18Stoke CityStoke441311204460-1650
19Blackburn RoversBlackburn441310215874-1649
20Plymouth ArgylePlymouth441212205869-1148
21Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds44138233968-2947
22Birmingham CityBirmingham441210224864-1646
23Huddersfield TownHuddersfield44917184774-2744
RRotherham UnitedRotherham44412283285-5324


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!