Stoke vs Watford predictions: Promotion-chasing pair look tough to split
- Stoke ended a four-match run of home defeats on the opening weekend
- Watford are unbeaten in their two Championship games
- Recommended bet: Draw
Both Stoke and Watford have built squads capable of challenging for promotion from the Championship and look tough to split heading into Saturday's clash in Staffordshire.
The Potters, who finished 16th last term, look set to improve after opening their campaign with a 4-1 win over Rotherham.
That result will have injected belief into their home form after losing their last four games on their own patch in 2022-23 but they could not back it up, going down 2-0 at Ipswich last time out.
They will be looking to bounce back against the Hornets, who beat Queens Park Rangers 4-0 first time out before drawing 0-0 against Plymouth last Saturday.
Despite failing to score against the Pilgrims, Valerian Ismael's side still had 21 shots and both teams will fancy themselves to get a result in this battle between two teams who look hard to split.
Team news
Stoke have a doubt over Chiquinho, who was withdrawn against Ipswich and could be replaced by Wesley.
Lewis Baker remains sidelined with a knee injury, while Tyrese Campbell is unavailable due to a thigh issue.
For Watford, Tom Ince is in the squad after recovering from a hip issue but Jamal Lewis has a calf problem and Rhys Healey is still working his way back from last season's ACL injury.
Francisco Sierralta will be assessed after coming off against Plymouth with tightness in his quad, while Jeremy Ngakia is back in contention after an ankle knock.
The stats
Stoke ended a four-game losing run at home in the Championship with their 4-1 victory over Rotherham on the opening weekend and backed it up by beating West Brom 2-1 in the Potteries in the EFL Cup.
Summer signing Andre Vidigal scored in both matches, netting a brace against the Millers and grabbing the winner in the victory over the Baggies.
Watford lost to Stevenage in the EFL Cup but Youssouf Bayo grabbed a goal in that game and also netted against QPR.
The Hornets won 4-0 in Staffordshire last season but have failed to triumph in their last nine Championship away games.
Prediction
Both Stoke and Watford have genuine promotion aspirations and have coaches who have either gone close or got the job done in the past.
Home boss Alex Neil took Norwich into the Premier League in 2014-15, while opposite number Ismael did the almost unthinkable by guiding Barnsley to the Championship play-offs.
Saturday's game will give both a gauge of where their teams stand and a result either way would provide the winning side a significant psychological boost.
In fact, a victory could see Watford go top of the table, while Stoke should move into the play-off spots.
That could lead to a cagey contest with both sets of players keen to avoid mistakes and they look truly tough to split.
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