Watford vs Bristol City Prediction: Both teams coming with consecutive wins

Watford will welcome Bristol City at Vicarage Road in Game Week 24 of the English Championship. Both teams are coming into the game with two consecutive wins to their names. Who will come out on top after 90 minutes?

Over the past few months, Watford has shown that they are a difficult team to defeat, with only two losses in their last 13 Championship matches (D4, L2). Valerien Ismael's team will enter Tuesday's match with a positive mindset after securing consecutive away wins against Preston North End and Blackburn Rovers, despite falling behind in both games. They came from behind to defeat Preston 5-1 and staged a late comeback in their trip to Ewood Park, with Mileta Rajovic and Rhys Healey scoring in the closing stages for a 2-1 victory over Blackburn. These two away wins have brought Watford within two points of the top six at the midway point of the Championship season. Having avoided defeat in their last five competitive encounters with Bristol City (W3, D2), the Hornets feel confident about adding to their point total. 

Watford have no new injury concerns, but they will still be without full-back Jeremy Ngakia. With a packed schedule, Ismael may consider making changes to his lineup, with Ryan Andrews, Yaser Asprilla, and Rajovic all potential starters against Bristol City. Despite scoring the winning goal in their previous match, Healey might have to settle for a spot on the bench, as he has yet to start a game since joining Watford. 

Hamer; Andrews, Porteous, Hoedt, Lewis; Asprilla, Kayembe, Livermore, Kone, Sema; Rajovic

Bristol City manager Liam Manning will be relieved that his team has secured maximum points in their last two matches, as they had only managed one win in his first five games in charge (D1, L3). They narrowly defeated Sunderland 1-0 at Ashton Gate and followed it up with another home win against Hull City. Despite trailing 2-1 at halftime, the Robins staged a late comeback with goals from Anis Mehmeti and Jason Knight, securing back-to-back league victories for the first time this season. Currently four points away from the top six, Bristol City now has the opportunity to win three consecutive league matches for the first time since November 2020. However, in order to achieve that, they will need to defeat Watford for the first time since winning an EFL Cup game in August 2017.

Bristol City is dealing with the absence of injured players Haydon Roberts, Rob Atkinson, Kal Naismith, and Ayman Benarous. Andy King and Ross McCrorie are nearing their return to fitness, but they are not expected to be available until January. After back-to-back victories, Manning might opt for the same lineup for the third consecutive game. 

O'Leary; Tanner, Vyner, Dickie, Pring; Sykes, James, Gardner-Hickman, Mehmeti; Knight, Conway. 

Although both teams are in a confident mood, we believe Watford will come out on top, considering their impressive record against Bristol City in previous home meetings. They have won their last three encounters by a combined scoreline of 10-0. Expect a low scoring game with under 2.5 goals.