Watford will host Stoke City as they look to keep in touch with the playoff spots. With a new manager in charge, Stoke recently moved up to 18th place in the standings. The Hornets are currently in ninth place.
Preview (Watford vs. Stoke City)
Everything at Watford was looking good as they tried to qualify for the playoffs, at least until Boxing Day. But a 4-1 loss to Bristol City at home has changed the narrative, with the Hornets now sitting with just seven points from five games at the start of the new year. Although it’s believed that Watford’s frequently impatient owners are adopting a different strategy in 2023–24 to find stability, Valerian Ismael knows he has to maintain his squad competitive with the top six. Watford is currently only two points out of that position, underscoring the wasted opportunity on Tuesday. This squad may benefit from the potential to recover quickly.
Watford’s forthcoming opponents will be aware of the fact that they have lost all three of their previous meetings. With Steven Schumacher taking over as manager, Stoke is starting the turnaround. There are a lot of encouraging things to take away from how their Boxing Day match went. Even with Wayne Rooney’s problems at Birmingham City, not many could have expected that the Potters would take an early lead—three goals in 53 minutes—and go on to win 3-1.
Even though Stoke is now only in 18th place, they are already seven points clear of the relegation zone and have not lost since December 9. There will be optimism when they travel to Hertfordshire for this match. They have eight points from their previous six away games.
Team News
Jamal Lewis is sidelined with a hamstring injury, so Ismael needs to find a replacement at left-back. Jeremy Ngakia could fill in. Ryan Porteous might start in the middle of the backline. Vakoun Bayo and Georgi Chakvetadze will probably start farther forward. Additionally, Daniel Bachmann, the former first-choice goalkeeper, might get a practice in between the sticks. If Schumacher is not concerned about his level of fitness, he might feel at ease choosing the same starting lineup for Stoke as the Birmingham encounter.
Despite his return from a two-match suspension, midfielder Ben Pearson is anticipated to be one of the replacements. The outcomes on Boxing Day have caused momentum to shift in Stoke’s favor. Watford’s prior performance, nevertheless, cannot be disregarded, thus we will pick with the home team to split the spoils with the steadily improving Potters.
Watford 1-1 Stoke City
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