Watford will be aiming to recover from four straight defeats in all competitions when they continue their Championship campaign with a contest against Cardiff City in Wales on Tuesday night.
The Hornets are currently ninth the Championship table, three points off the playoff positions, while Cardiff sit 23rd, picking up only 23 points from their opening 25 matches of the campaign.
Match preview
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Cardiff boast a record of five wins, eight draws and 12 defeats from their 25 league matches this season, with a total of 23 points leaving them in 23rd spot in the Championship table.
The Welsh outfit are only three points ahead of basement side Plymouth Argyle, but they are level on points with 21st-placed Portsmouth, so it is far from panic stations with a lot of football left to play this term.
Omer Riza's side will bring a four-game unbeaten run into this contest, picking up five points from their last three Championship matches against Watford, Coventry City and Middlesbrough, before beating Sheffield United 1-0 in the third round of the FA Cup.
The Bluebirds have struggled in front of their own fans this season, only picking up 13 points from 12 matches, which is the second-worst home record in the division behind Hull City (12).
Cardiff are unbeaten in their last four Championship fixtures against Watford, including a 2-1 success at the end of last month, but the corresponding fixture in Wales during the 2023-24 campaign ended in a goalless draw.
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Watford's journey in this season's FA Cup came to an end on Thursday night, suffering a 4-1 defeat to Premier League outfit Fulham, which made it four straight losses for the Hornets in all competitions.
Tom Cleverley's side have been beaten by Cardiff, Queens Park Rangers and Sheffield United in their last three in the second tier, which has seen them drop down to ninth spot in the Championship table.
Watford are only three points behind sixth-placed West Bromwich Albion, though, with the team expecting to be in the playoff mix come the end of the campaign.
The Hornets have struggled to make their mark on their travels this season, winning just two of their 12 league matches away from their own stadium, collecting only eight points in the process.
Watford have not beaten Cardiff since November 2022, though, with the Welsh outfit enjoying the better of their recent meetings, and it is shaping up to be an interesting battle on Tuesday night.
Team News
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Cardiff will be missing Michael Reindorf, Aaron Ramsey, David Turnbull and Isaak Davies for this contest, but no fresh issues have been reported from their FA Cup clash with Sheffield United.
Callum Robinson is available again after serving a suspension, and the 29-year-old, who has eight goals in 20 appearances this season, is set to feature in the final third of the field.
There will also be another start for Ruben Colwill, who has three goals and four assists in 27 outings during a strong season.
As for Watford, Kevin Keben is unavailable for selection through injury, but the visitors are otherwise in excellent shape for their trip to Wales.
Vakoun Bayo is the team's leading goalscorer this season, finding the back of the net on nine occasions in 25 appearances, and he will feature in the final third of the field for the Hornets.
Kwadwo Baah has five goals and two assists in 26 appearances, and the 21-year-old will also be in the XI, while Edo Kayembe will be aiming to add to the six goals that he has scored in all competitions this term.
Cardiff City possible starting lineup:
Alnwick; Rinomhota, Goutas, Daland, O'Dowda; Siopis, Chambers; Ashford, R Colwill, Tanner; Robinson
Watford possible starting lineup:
Bachmann; Andrews, Pollock, Ogbonna, Sierralta, Ngakia; Kayembe, Chakvetadze, Louza; Baah, Vata
We say: Cardiff City 1-1 Watford
Cardiff have the second-worst home record in the Championship this term, but Watford have found it tough on their travels, so we are struggling to back either with any real confidence here, ultimately settling on a low-scoring draw in Wales.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
