On Friday night, Watford host Middlesbrough at Vicarage Road, as the Hornets look to make a winning return to the Championship after relegation.
The visitors appointed Vladimir Ivic as their head coach after suffering relegation last season. The Hornets will be hopeful of a quick return to the Premier League after keeping the majority of their star players.
⚽ 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧!📖 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞! With a brand-new look and lots of fresh content for the new campaign, get your hands on the first edition of ‘The Hornet’ for Friday’s season opener against Middlesbrough.— Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC) September 10, 2020
⚽ 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧!📖 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞! With a brand-new look and lots of fresh content for the new campaign, get your hands on the first edition of ‘The Hornet’ for Friday’s season opener against Middlesbrough.
Watford lost French midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure to Everton. Meanwhile, their biggest signing of the window so far has been the capture of veteran Brighton striker Glenn Murray on a season-long loan.
The last time the Hornets featured in the second tier in season 2014/15. They finished that last Championship campaign with a seven-game unbeaten run, having recorded five wins.
The home team’s record at Vicarage Road helped Watford achieve promotion in their last spell in the Championship. They won five of their final seven home games in the second tier.
Middlesbrough finished just five points clear of the relegation zone last season. Like the hosts, Boro will hope for a better campaign this time around.
The team from the north east finished last season in an inconsistent manner, winning five and losing five of their previous ten matches in the Championship. Their league games towards the end of last season were high-scoring, as their last four matches produced over 2.5 goals. Middlesbrough have also kept just one clean sheet in their last seven Championship games.
Despite an inconsistent finish to last season, the visitors won five of their last six away games in the second tier. Boro’s attacking threat was the key to their excellent late-season form on their travels, scoring at least twice in four of their previous five away matches.
Forebet predicts that Watford will record a victory in a high-scoring clash to make a positive start to life back in the Championship.