Watford vs Portsmouth predictions: Hornets can keep it clean in victory
- Watford are seventh in the Championship, only a point outside of the play-off spots
- Portsmouth are 20th in the table but just two points clear of bottom position
- Recommended Bet: Watford to win to nil
Watford saw a six-match unbeaten spell come to an end over the weekend when they lost 2-1 at automatic promotion contenders Burnley, but they remain in a decent position thanks to their consistent home record.
Portsmouth thrashed Coventry 4-1 at Fratton Park in their last outing, with their forward Callum Lang notching all four of their goals to further ease their relegation fears.
Team news
Watford will be without the injured Kev Keben and Tom Dele-Bashiru for this Boxing Day clash.
Imran Louza missed the trip to Burnley through illness and could return, while Angelo Ogbonna was back on the bench in that defeat, having been out of action since October.
Portsmouth have a lengthy list of absentees, with Jordan Williams, Jacob Farrell, Ibane Bowat, Conor Shaughnessy, Mark O'Mahony and Kusini Yengi having all missed the win against Coventry with injuries.
The stats
Watford are unbeaten in 12 home games across all competitions this season, winning 10 of those and drawing twice.
Portsmouth’s win against Coventry means that they have only lost one of their last six fixtures.
The Hornets’ home form has been built on defensive excellence, keeping seven clean sheets at Vicarage Road and only conceding a single goal in the other five matches.
Pompey have only won one of their 10 away games this season, drawing four times and losing on five occasions.
Prediction
Watford’s away-day blues are holding them back this season, with Tom Cleverley’s team only winning two of their 11 Championship games on the road.
Following a sixth away defeat, they will be looking forward to returning to the safe waters of Vicarage Road, with only high-flying Leeds and Sheffield United having better home records in the second-tier, going into these Boxing Day fixtures.
John Mousinho’s Portsmouth seem to have got to grips with life in the Championship having won League One last season, though they remain in a perilous position.
Lang's performance against Coventry offers plenty of hope for the second-half of this campaign, with the 26-year-old having now scored nine goals in 16 league games.
However, while Portsmouth seem to have found a forward that can score regularly at this level, they face a tough challenge against a Watford side that gives nothing away cheaply at home.
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