The conclusion of week two of the Championship is upon us involving two of the strongest squads in the division as Watford head to West Brom. Both clubs will be pleased with their starts last week as the Hornets pulled off an impressive win over Sheffield United and the Baggies took a point back from the Riverside. The two sides will be looking at promotion this season and the squads should certainly be up there.
West Brom may not have been the most active club in the transfer window, but they pulled off some seriously impressive signings. Midfielder John Swift, who has been tipped for Premier League moves before now, and winger Jed Wallace, who seriously impressed since he moved to Millwall in January 2016, are among the best players in the Championship and will seriously improve the Baggies’ squad. Turkish holding midfielder Okay Yokuslu also joined and has experience of playing in the top flight in Spain. The issue many have with West Brom this year is manager Steve Bruce who most feel will not get the most out of this squad.
Somehow, Watford have manged to keep their front three – bolstering an Ismaila Sarr who signed three years ago for £30 million, a Joao Pedro who is one of the most exciting young players in the Championship and Emmanuel Dennis who scored 10 goals in the Premier League last season. New boss Rob Edwards will want to boost his record with another win here as he has perhaps the most ruthless and unsafe job in English football.
The two sides will want to back up their solid results against good teams in week one and take points off one another as they both try to return to the promised land of the Premier League.
West Brom v Watford Bet Builder Tips
Both Teams to Score
Only four of the fixtures last week saw both teams score – one of which involved West Brom and Middlesbrough. However, this week the goals have been flowing more freely and 6 of the 10 games played so far have seen both teams hit the back of the net and I expect this trend to continue. Last week, both teams saw over one expected goal for and West Brom conceded over one and I think this will be converted to actual goals this week.
Middlesbrough v West Brom was probably the best game of week one in the Championship and it saw many chances for both sides. Duncan Watmore should have scored to double the home side’s lead and maybe see out the game but it let West Brom back in and perhaps Boro were fortunate to come away with a point with Jed Wallace and John Swift both missing decent chances. Goals are the issue for Middlesborough and West Brom cannot afford to give Watford chances like Jones and Watmore had or they will be punished by the lethal front three.
Watford were perhaps the most impressive side in week one of the Championship and their front three clicked and was fluid throughout. Defensively, they looked stable but I’m not sure they’ll be so comfortable this week. The midfield of West Brom looks very strong with Yoksulu coming in and this should be able to expose the ageing Tom Cleverley and inexperienced Kayembe. John Swift, spoken about below, and Jed Wallace, who averaged a goal and assist almost every other game for Millwall in his last three seasons, alone could be enough to find the back of the net but they’ve also got some impressive options with Dike, Grant and Phillips who all have a good record at this level.
⚽️
Prediction: Both Teams to Score
Joao Pedro to have 2+ shots
Joao Pedro is one of the most exciting young players in the Championship having signed from Brazilian club Fluminense two years ago. At only 18, he managed 9 goals in his first season in England and two years on he will want to boost those numbers this season after not having too many chances last season. He got off to the perfect start by finding the net last week as he scored the winner to beat the Blades and should suit the style of play that Watford will play with Dennis and Sarr in behind him.
Watford’s wing backs caused issues for Sheffield United last week and they often looked stretched whilst trying to deal with Kamara and Sema as their front three overloaded the defence. Pedro himself managed to benefit from this as he scored and had another shot on target and will be hoping to do the same here.
The last time he was in the Championship, he managed 69 shots at an average of 2.26 shots per 90 minutes. In games he started, he managed 2+ shots 18/32 games and often got subbed early due to a lack of experience. Last year, he averaged 2.57 shots per 90 and wasn’t given many opportunities until the second half of the season. In an extremely poor Watford side he managed at least one shot in 12/14 starts in 2022 and 2+ in seven of those starts. Given the difference in quality between the leagues he should manage to get at least two shots away.
West Brom allowed Middlesbrough to have 16 shots last week and both strikers – Watmore and Akpom – managed two each. Given that, as well as Pedro’s record, evens for 2+ shots seems very generous.
🎯
Prediction: Joao Pedro to have 2+ shots
John Swift to have 1+ Shots On Target
John Swift moved to West Brom over the summer and to many who follow the Championship, it is baffling how he hasn’t had a move to the top division yet. He was nominated for EFL Young Player of the Year in 2016/17 and somehow Reading have managed to keep hold of him until now. Just like Pedro, he manged to find the back of the net in his first game.
As well as scoring, Swift managed two shots on target and four shots against Middlesborough last week and Chris Wilder’s team will prove one of the sternest tests for Championship attacks this season. Averaging over 0.80 shots on target per 90 for a poor Reading in each of his last two sides there, he will be expecting to boost these numbers as the quality of his teammates has increased. He also took penalties for Reading and it remains to be seen whether he will be given this responsibility at his new club.
Perhaps the weakest point of Watford’s team is the midfield – involving Cleverley and Kayembe. Given the freedom of playing as a number 10, Swift should be able to exploit these weaknesses. Whilst Watford only allowed Sheffield United 3 shots on target last week, these were split evenly between the front three of Ndiaye, Jebbison and Berge and I think there’s value in Swift to hit the target.
🎯
Prediction: John Swift to have 1+ Shots On Target
Over 3.5 Cards
West Brom saw 3 cards given in their first game, but only 1 for them – given to John Swift. However, the man in charge of that game was Tony Harrington a man who averaged amongst the lowest number of yellow cards in the Championship last season and was very lenient, letting many fouls and cards go for both sides. The home side will want to use their advantage and I can see them trying to get stuck into the front three to try and unsettle them.
In contrast, Watford were involved in a yellow card fest, receiving four and drawing three. As this game becomes stretched, I can see a similar scenario – particularly if Swift manages to cause Cleverley and Kayembe as many problems as I expect he will.
Referee Tim Robinson was involved in a tasty affair between Cardiff and Norwich on the opening weekend which saw two players sent off and four yellow cards. In the Championship last season, he gave an average of 4.66 yellow cards per game (the most of any referee) and I think in a game that should be stretched with two very good attacks, similar numbers could be reached.
🟨
Prediction: Over 3.5 Cards
Written by an Andy verified content writer
18+ please gamble responsibly.
Back the 17/2 West Brom v Watford Bet Builder below ⬇️
🧾
Load the bet slip @ 9.67 at Paddy Power
Haven’t got a Paddy Power account? You’re in luck…
Sign up to Paddy Power and get a full refund if your first bet loses. Grab an account through the offer below and place £30 on the 17/2 West Brom v Watford Bet Builder. Here are the two possible outcomes:
✅
You win £290.10 cash if it wins
🔄
Or you get your £30 stake back as cash
* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets *
Predicted Line-ups
West Brom predicted XI (4-2-3-1) : Button; Furlong, Ajayi, O’Shea, Townsend; Molumby, Livermore; Wallace, Swift, Phillips; Dike
Watford XI (3-2-4-1) : Bachmann; Kabasele, Sierralta, Cathcart; Kamara, Cleverley; Kayembe, Sema; Sarr, Dennis; Pedro
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing *
How to watch West Brom v Watford in the Championship
📅 When is West Brom v Watford? / Monday, 8th August 2022, 8:00PM
🏟 Where is West Brom v Watford? / The Hawthorns (Norwich)
📺 What TV channel is West Brom v Watford on? / Sky Sports Main Event
🟨 …And who is the referee for West Brom v Watford? / T. Robinson 🏴
