Championship 
Watford and Southampton will lock horns in a mouthwatering Championship encounter at Vicarage Road on Saturday, December 9, 2023.
Following a mixed opening to their campaign, Watford currently find themselves in 10th place in the Championship table after gaining 27 points from their opening 19 league games.
In what is a very compact Championship, the Hornets are only 3 points below the playoff places but 6 points ahead of 20th position.
Watford come into this weekend’s game on the back of a good run of form which has seen them win three of their last four outings. This run has included victories over Norwich hull and Watford.
Last time out, Wesley Hoedt's wonder strike from near the halfway line secured an important away win for Watford at Hull City.The Dutch defender's incredible goal was the pick of the bunch, with Edo Kayembe also finding the net for the Hornets. Ben Hamer kept out a Jaden Philogene penalty in a pulsating encounter.
After an impressive start to their campaign, Southampton currently find themselves in 4th place in the table, having picked up 37 points so far this season. The Saints come into this weekend on the back of an impressive run of form which has seen them go 11 games in the league without loss of which they have won eight.
In their last league outing, Southampton eased to victory as they beat Cardiff 2-0. Both of the game’s goals came in the opening 15 minutes thanks to an Adam Armstrong brace.
The fixture of Watford vs Southampton has a long and storied history, with the two sides first meeting in 1900, in a game which Southampton won 1-0. In total, these sides have met on 87 occasions, with Southampton having won 38, Watford having won 27 and there being 22 draws.
Southampton have dominated this fixture’s recent history and have only lost two of the last 16 meetings, a run which stretches back to 2008. This tends to be a game where both teams score, only one of the last six games has not resulted in this outcome.
Despite the Saint’s recent domination of this fixture, it was Watford who recorded a narrow victory when these sides last met in the Premier League in 2022. Watford took the lead in the 14th minute when Hernández pounced on a mistake from Mohammed Salisu and rounded Fraser Forster to score.
The Hornets doubled their advantage in the 34th minute when Hernández scored his second goal of the game, this time from a cross by Juraj Kucka. Southampton pulled one goal back just before half-time when Elyounoussi tapped in from close range after a free-kick from James Ward-Prowse. The Saints pressed for an equaliser in the second half, but Watford defended resolutely and held on for the win.
Unsurprisingly, given their recent form, it is Southampton who are currently favoured at the bookies and are priced @ 5/4, whilst a home win for Watford is currently priced @ 21/10 and a draw is @ 12/5.
We are backing Southampton to win and Adam Armstrong to score because he has shown impressive form so far this season. Armstrong has 12 goals in 19 appearances and is currently the second top scorer in the Championship.