Bristol City vs Watford: prediction and stats
ChampionshipRegular Season - 8Kick-off on September 18, 2026 at 07:00 PM (UTC)Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol
The Footlab model makes Bristol City the favourite at 40%, against 28% for a draw and 32% for Watford. The most likely score is 1-1.
This model is measured at 53.9% 1X2 accuracy on a temporal hold-out, against 33.3% for random guessing. See the measured accuracy
Probabilities recomputed on Aug 22, 2026 — the full match card is recomputed continuously until kick-off.
Who will win Bristol City vs Watford?
A very open match: only 26 Elo points separate Bristol City (1,825) and Watford (1,799).
What is the recent form of both teams?
Over their last 15 matches in all competitions, Bristol City have 4 wins, 5 draws and 6 defeats; Watford have 4, 3 and 8.
The competition is shown for every match: in pre-season, several of these games are friendlies.
| Date | Opponent | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 2026 | Millwall(home) | 0-2 | Championship |
| Aug 6, 2026 | Walsall(home) | 0-1 | League Cup |
| Aug 1, 2026 | Exeter City(away) | 1-1 | Friendlies Clubs |
| Aug 1, 2026 | Plymouth(away) | 0-0 | Friendlies Clubs |
| Jul 29, 2026 | Newcastle(home) | 4-1 | Friendlies Clubs |
| Date | Opponent | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 16, 2026 | Southampton(home) | 2-1 | Championship |
| Aug 8, 2026 | Crawley Town(home) | 1-0 | League Cup |
| Jul 29, 2026 | Fiorentina(home) | 0-1 | Friendlies Clubs |
| Jul 25, 2026 | Hansa Rostock(home) | 3-0 | Friendlies Clubs |
| Jul 15, 2026 | Barnet(away) | 2-2 | Friendlies Clubs |
What does the head-to-head say?
Across the last 6 meetings: 2 Bristol City win(s), 2 draw(s), 2 Watford win(s).
| Date | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 27, 2026 | Bristol City 1-2 Watford | Championship |
| Jan 10, 2026 | Bristol City 5-1 Watford | FA Cup |
| Nov 7, 2025 | Watford 1-1 Bristol City | Championship |
| Apr 5, 2025 | Bristol City 2-1 Watford | Championship |
| Nov 26, 2024 | Watford 1-0 Bristol City | Championship |
| Jan 20, 2024 | Bristol City 1-1 Watford | Championship |
Last archived meeting: Bristol City vs Watford on Feb 27, 2026
How many goals should we expect?
Bristol City score 1.2 and concede 1.3 goals per match over their last 15; Watford score 1.0 and concede 1.7. The model gives a 49% probability of over 2.5 goals and 54% for both teams to score.
| Club | Goals scored / match | Goals conceded / match | Clean sheets | Both teams scored | Over 2.5 goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol City | 1.2 | 1.3 | 5 | 7/15 | 6/15 |
| Watford | 1.0 | 1.7 | 3 | 7/15 | 9/15 |
Over the last 15 matches in all competitions.
Where do both teams sit in the table?
Bristol City sit 23rd in Championship (0 points from 1 matches) and Watford sit 6th (3 points from 1 matches).
| # | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Watford | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 23 | Bristol City | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Verdict, probable XI and verified absences
The full match card recomputes this prediction continuously until kick-off: multi-market verdict, player-by-player probable XI and web-verified absences.
Open the full match card in the app
No odds, no affiliation: the method is published and the accuracy is measured.
How does Footlab compute this prediction?
The model combines both teams' Elo ratings (anchored by competition pool), their recent form weighted by opponent strength, home advantage and a Poisson matrix for scorelines. Its accuracy is measured continuously on the predictions actually published. Methodology and measured accuracy
Frequently asked questions
- Who is the favourite for Bristol City vs Watford?
- The Footlab model makes Bristol City the favourite at 40%, against 28% for a draw and 32% for Watford.
- Where and when is Bristol City vs Watford played?
- Bristol City vs Watford is played on September 18, 2026 at 07:00 PM (UTC) at Ashton Gate Stadium, in the Championship.
- Will there be over 2.5 goals?
- The Footlab model gives a 49% probability of at least three goals in this match.
- How reliable is this prediction?
- The Footlab model is measured at 53.9% correct 1X2 outcomes on a temporal hold-out, against 33.3% for random guessing. The breakdown by competition and Elo gap is published on the accuracy page.