Watford vs Preston Prediction
England · Regular Season - 6
Vicarage Road, Watford 08/09/2026
AI Best Pick
Statistical forecasts for entertainment purposes only - not betting or financial advice.
Data Quality
Complete
Match Importance
3.6 / 10
Value Analysis
67%Trust
Away Cards
Away Cards Under 2.5
1.65
SignalGOODModel67%SurpriseMediumGap+10.2%
Watford Rest
3 days
Preston Rest
3 days
Watford vs Preston: result, form and history
Watford beat Preston 2-1 in the Championship on 8 Sep 2026. The two went into the match with similar recent form.
Their 10 previous meetings averaged 2.4 goals, with both teams scoring in 5 of them.
Match Forecasts
Match Result
142%2.10
X28%3.42
230%3.47
Double Chance
1X70%1.29
X258%1.73
Both Teams to Score
Yes51%1.72
No49%2.05
Goals
Projected Goals: 1.43 + 1.09 = 2.52
Over 1.575%1.28
Over 2.552%1.90
Over 3.525%3.20
Under 1.525%3.50
Under 2.548%1.90
Under 3.575%1.33
Corners
Projected Corners: 5.2 + 4.5 = 9.7
Over 8.561%1.32
Over 9.551%1.59
Over 10.540%2.00
Under 8.539%2.97
Under 9.549%2.25
Under 10.560%1.75
Cards
Projected Cards: 1.7 + 2 = 3.7
Over 3.551%1.62
Over 4.531%2.27
Under 3.549%2.15
Under 4.569%1.55
Match Events
5'Callum Lang
45'Martin Payero INIker Bravo out
45'Amin Nabizada INStephy Mavididi out
45'Rocco Vata INOthmane Maamma out
61'Haktab Omar Traore INJordan Zemura out
62'Andrija VukčevićFoul
66'Johnny Kenny INDelano Burgzorg out
66'Andrija Vukčević INStanley Mills out
67'Lewis GibsonFoul
69'Edo Kayembe
75'Leo Leroy INLiam Gibbs out
75'Callum Lang INJusef Erabi out
76'Mamadou DoumbiaAssist: Iker Bravo
82'Alfie Devine INThierry Small out
88'Mamadou Doumbia INLuca Kjerrumgaard out
Lineups
WatfordPreston
5-3-2Coach: P. HeckingbottomAvg ratingAvg rating
1F. Ravaglia
4K. Keben
6M. Pollock
3S. Coulibaly
23O. Traoré
39E. Kayembe
5H. Kyprianou
21A. Nabizada
22M. Payero
11R. Vata
20M. Doumbia
1D. Iversen
4H. Clarke
24O. Offiah
14J. Storey
19L. Gibson
3A. Vukčević
27L. Leroy
15J. Thompson
7A. Devine
10C. Lang
38J. KennyWatford Substitutes
26D. Bachmann
17Iker Bravo45'for Martin Payero
9L. Kjerrumgaard88'for Mamadou Doumbia
7O. Maamma45'for Rocco Vata
45S. Mavididi45'for Amin Nabizada
24S. Walker
33J. Zemura61'for Haktab Omar Traore
56Albert Eames
Preston Substitutes
6L. Lindsay
17S. Mills66'for Andrija Vukčević
23A. Moran
21L. Nicholls
11T. Small82'for Alfie Devine
12C. Wiley
20L. Gibbs75'for Leo Leroy
9J. Erabi75'for Callum Lang
37D. Burgzorg66'for Johnny Kenny
Match Stats
WatfordPreston 61%Ball Possession39%
2Corner Kicks4
0Yellow Cards2
15Total Shots18
5Shots on Goal6
7Shots off Goal6
11Shots Inside Box10
4Shots Outside Box8
3Blocked Shots6
7Fouls10
2Offsides1
5Goalkeeper Saves3
526Total Passes319
436Passes Accurate243
83%Pass Accuracy76%
Team Comparison
WatfordPreston1505Elo Rating 1492
0.65Attack 0.78
0.95Defense 0.59
23%Hit Rate 0%
12.6Shots per Game 12.8
4.3Shots on Target 2.1
3.3Corners per Game 3.7
3.0Cards per Game 2.2
AI Insights
📉Home Underperforming
Game State Tendencies
Watford- Scores more in 2nd half (0.7 vs 0 in first half)
- Concedes more in 1st half - tightens up after the break
Preston- Tied at half-time in 40% of matches
- Concedes more in 2nd half - can tire late
Head to Head
Last 10 meetings, all competitions
Watford3Wins · 30%Draws550%
Preston2Wins · 20%
2Wins · 20%2.4Avg Goals
50%Both teams scored5 of 10
50%3+ goals5 of 10
Previous meetings
14/02/2026PrestonWatford22
25/11/2025WatfordPreston11
21/01/2025WatfordPreston12
02/10/2024PrestonWatford30
06/04/2024WatfordPreston00
16/12/2023PrestonWatford15
04/03/2023WatfordPreston00
20/08/2022PrestonWatford00
16/02/2021PrestonWatford01
28/11/2020WatfordPreston41
Recent Form
Watford3W3D4L
05/09/2026
West BromWatford
West BromWatford10
L01/09/2026
SwanseaWatford
SwanseaWatford20
L29/08/2026Watford
West Ham
25/08/2026WatfordWest Ham11
DWatford
Peterborough15
L22/08/2026
WrexhamWatford
WrexhamWatford11
D16/08/2026Watford
Southampton
08/08/2026WatfordSouthampton21
WWatford
Crawley Town10
W29/07/2026Watford
Fiorentina
WatfordFiorentina01
L25/07/2026Watford
Hansa Rostock
WatfordHansa Rostock30
W14/07/2026
BarnetWatford
BarnetWatford22
DPreston2W0D8L
05/09/2026Preston
Blackburn
PrestonBlackburn21
W01/09/2026Preston
Bristol City
PrestonBristol City13
L29/08/2026
CharltonPreston
26/08/2026CharltonPreston10
LPreston
Everton04
L22/08/2026Preston
Wolves13
L15/08/2026
BoltonPreston
08/08/2026BoltonPreston21
LPreston
Huddersfield4131
W01/08/2026
Stockport CountyPreston
Stockport CountyPreston10
L29/07/2026
BradfordPreston
BradfordPreston32
L25/07/2026
MarinePreston
MarinePreston30
LLeague Table
| # | Team | MP | W | D | L | G | GD | Pts | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Middlesbrough | 13 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 30:17 | +13 | 28 | WWDWW |
| 2 | Swansea | 13 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 20:13 | +7 | 26 | WLLWW |
| 3 | Wolves | 13 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 23:16 | +7 | 24 | WWDWL |
| 4 | West Brom | 13 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 19:14 | +5 | 24 | WDWWL |
| 5 | Southampton | 13 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 28:13 | +15 | 23 | WWDWW |
| 6 |  Birmingham | 13 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 23:13 | +10 | 23 | WLWWW |
| 7 |  Stoke City | 13 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 20:16 | +4 | 23 | WDWLW |
| 8 | West Ham | 13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 33:18 | +15 | 22 | LLWWD |
| 9 |  QPR | 13 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 21:16 | +5 | 20 | LWLWD |
| 10 |  Sheffield Utd | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 17:15 | +2 | 19 | WDWLW |
| 11 |  Portsmouth | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 16:15 | +1 | 19 | DWDWW |
| 12 |  Millwall | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 23:21 | +2 | 18 | WLDLW |
| 13 | Blackburn | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 19:20 | -1 | 18 | LWLWW |
| 14 | Bristol City | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 15:17 | -2 | 18 | WDLLD |
| 15 |  Norwich | 13 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 23:24 | -1 | 15 | WWLLL |
| 16 |  Lincoln | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 14:23 | -9 | 15 | LWDLL |
| 17 |  Cardiff | 13 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 19:20 | -1 | 14 | LWDWL |
| 18 | Wrexham | 13 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 15:19 | -4 | 14 | LLWLD |
| 19 | Bolton | 13 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 18:26 | -8 | 14 | LLDWL |
| 20 | Charlton | 13 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 11:21 | -10 | 14 | LLLDD |
| 21 | Watford | 13 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 12:23 | -11 | 11 | LLWLL |
| 22 |  Burnley | 13 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 17:25 | -8 | 9 | DLLDW |
| 23 |  Derby | 13 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 11:25 | -14 | 7 | LDLLD |
| 24 | Preston | 13 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 10:27 | -17 | 5 | LDLLL |
| # | Team | MP | G | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middlesbrough | 13 | 30:17 | 28 |
| 2 | Swansea | 13 | 20:13 | 26 |
| 3 | Wolves | 13 | 23:16 | 24 |
| 4 | West Brom | 13 | 19:14 | 24 |
| 5 | Southampton | 13 | 28:13 | 23 |
| 6 | Birmingham | 13 | 23:13 | 23 |
| 7 | Stoke City | 13 | 20:16 | 23 |
| 8 | West Ham | 13 | 33:18 | 22 |
| 9 | QPR | 13 | 21:16 | 20 |
| 10 | Sheffield Utd | 13 | 17:15 | 19 |
| 11 | Portsmouth | 13 | 16:15 | 19 |
| 12 | Millwall | 13 | 23:21 | 18 |
| 13 | Blackburn | 13 | 19:20 | 18 |
| 14 | Bristol City | 13 | 15:17 | 18 |
| 15 | Norwich | 13 | 23:24 | 15 |
| 16 | Lincoln | 13 | 14:23 | 15 |
| 17 | Cardiff | 13 | 19:20 | 14 |
| 18 | Wrexham | 13 | 15:19 | 14 |
| 19 | Bolton | 13 | 18:26 | 14 |
| 20 | Charlton | 13 | 11:21 | 14 |
| 21 | Watford | 13 | 12:23 | 11 |
| 22 | Burnley | 13 | 17:25 | 9 |
| 23 | Derby | 13 | 11:25 | 7 |
| 24 | Preston | 13 | 10:27 | 5 |
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About the Watford vs Preston forecast
Every forecast on this page comes from the same model inputs: team ratings, recent form, goals scored and conceded, and how these sides have fared against each other.
How to Read These Forecasts
Each percentage shows the model's calculated likelihood for that outcome. Above 65% indicates strong statistical confidence; 45-65% reflects a competitive, open match; below 45% suggests the outcome is statistically less likely. All figures are for informational and entertainment purposes only.
Watford and Preston in the Championship table
In the Championship table, Watford are 21st and Preston 24th, 6 points apart. League goal record so far: Watford 12-23, Preston 10-27. The full standings are on the Championship Table 2026 page.
Key Factors for This Match
This forecast is based on a complete recent-form dataset for both teams.
All forecasts are generated by statistical and machine learning models for informational and entertainment purposes only. They are not guaranteed and do not constitute financial or betting advice.