Two Championship playoff rivals will go head to head this weekend when Watford host Norwich City at Vicarage Road.

These two sides currently occupy the final two playoff spots and will know that defeat could be hugely damaging to their hopes of reaching the Premier League next season.

Watford are the better placed of the two sides, sitting three points clear of Saturday's opponents, but defeat by two goals or more would see them slip below the Canaries and down into sixth place.

The hosts are, however, safe in the knowledge that they can't fall out of the top six altogether this weekend, with four points separating them from Brentford in seventh.

Indeed, many Watford fans may still be looking up the table rather than over their shoulders as four points is also all that separates them from league leaders Middlesbrough.

A run of five wins in their last six matches has seen the Hornets creep up on the title race, and recent evidence certainly suggests that they have the firepower to trouble those above them in the table.

Another four goals in a dramatic 4-3 victory over Bolton Wanderers last weekend took their tally for the season up to 63 - a total only Bournemouth can better.

Odion Ighalo was on the scoresheet yet again against the Trotters to take his tally to 12 goals in his last eight league games, a run of form that has even seen him oust Troy Deeney as the club's main striker.

Deeney did come off the bench to score a 90th-minute winner at the Macron, however, which could earn him a recall in place of Matej Vydra this weekend.

Watford have won four of their last five matches at Vicarage Road, including an ongoing run of three in a row during which they have scored 13 goals and conceded just two.

They drew a blank in the reverse fixture at Carrow Road, however, as Norwich took advantage of an early red card to cruise to a 3-0 victory back in August.

The Canaries have had a dip in form and a change of manager since then, but they finally find themselves back in the playoff places now having climbed above Brentford last weekend.

A 2-0 win over fellow playoff hopefuls Wolverhampton Wanderers made it three victories on the bounce for Alex Neil's men, while they have only been beaten once in the league so far this calendar year.

Like Watford, Norwich have not been shy in front of goal this season, but it is at the back where they have particularly impressed in recent weeks, keeping three clean sheets in their last four outings.

The Canaries have only lost one of their last six league away games, but did need a late Cameron Jerome winner to get past struggling Charlton Athletic in their most recent outing on the road.

That goal was not enough to earn Jerome a start last weekend, however, and Neil could once again name an unchanged side this Saturday, with Lewis Grabban and Gary Hooper leading the line.

Watford:

Recent form: WLWWW

Possible starting lineup: Gomes; Cathcart, Ekstrand, Angella; Paredes, Layun, Watson, Abdi, Anya; Deeney, Ighalo

Norwich:

Recent form: WLDWWW

Possible starting lineup: Ruddy; Whittaker, Martin, Bassong, Olsson; Redmond, Tettey, Howson, Johnson; Grabban, Hooper

Sports Mole says: 2-2

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