Watford vs Sunderland predictions: Goals in short supply at Vicarage Road

Rob Eddy

Spotlight

Tom Cleverley has lost only one of his seven games since taking charge of Watford, but has not won since his first

- Watford are winless in six games, drawing five
- Sunderland last did the double over Watford in the 1998-99 season
- Recommended bet: Under 1.5 goals

Watford end their Vicarage Road season with a meeting with fellow mid-table side Sunderland and both are looking to at least end what have been disappointing campaigns on a high.

The Hornets have the fourth worst home record in the division while the Black Cats — who were pushing for the play-offs for most of the campaign — have tumbled down the table after a long spell of poor form.

Team news

Ken Sema is pushing for a start after making his return to action from the bench in the 0-0 draw with Hull

Tom Cleverley was recently appointed permanent manager at Watford and he has an almost fully-fit squad to choose from for this clash, with the only injury absentee being Kwadwo Baah.

The likes of Ken Sema and Mileta Rajovic could push for a return to the starting lineup after making appearances from the bench in the recent goalless draw with Hull, with Jamal Lewis and Emmanuel Dennis both potentially making way.

Sunderland interim head coach Mike Dodds has a larger injury list to contend with, as Elliot Embleton, Dennis Cirkin, Jenson Seelt, Nazariy Rusyn, Dan Neil and Niall Huggins are all expected to remain on the sidelines.

Star attacking talents Jobe Bellingham and Jack Clarke should both start, but Bradley Dack may lose his spot from Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Millwall with Trai Hume a potential replacement.

The latest Watford vs Sunderland odds are available on LiveScore Bet

The stats

Watford’s sole victory at Vicarage Road in their last 14 matches came in the FA Cup against National League champions Chesterfield (2-1).

Sunderland claimed a 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture at the Stadium of Light in October.

Three of Watford’s last four Championship fixtures have ended 0-0.

Only Rotherham (20) have collected fewer points at home than the Hornets (24).

Each of Sunderland’s last four games have seen no more than one goal scored, with just two scored in total in that run.

The latest Watford vs Sunderland odds are available on LiveScore Bet

Prediction

Both Watford and Sunderland have little to play for going into the penultimate round of the season and so a low-scoring encounter should be expected at Vicarage Road on Saturday.

The Hornets have proved difficult to beat under Tom Cleverley — drawing five of the seven games under the former Manchester United midfielder’s management — but they have found life difficult in front of goal in recent weeks, shooting blanks against Preston, Ipswich and Hull in April.

The Black Cats are in a similar boat, scoring just two goals across their last five matches and also failing to find the net in three games this month — against Bristol City (0-0), Leeds (0-0) and Millwall (0-1).

The issues that both sides currently have in the final third point to a low-scoring affair in Hertfordshire and, with four of the last five head-to-heads at Vicarage Road ending all square, there is likely going to be very little to separate the two.

Back under 1.5 goals at 11/5 with LiveScore Bet.