Watford vs Bolton: prediction and stats
ChampionshipRegular Season - 22Kick-off on December 19, 2026 at 03:00 PM (UTC)Vicarage Road, Watford
The Footlab model makes Bolton the favourite at 40%, against 28% for a draw and 33% 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 24, 2026 — the full match card is recomputed continuously until kick-off.
Who will win Watford vs Bolton?
Bolton starts as the favourite with a 102-point Elo edge (1,913 vs 1,811).
What is the recent form of both teams?
Over their last 15 matches in all competitions, Watford have 3 wins, 4 draws and 8 defeats; Bolton have 7, 5 and 3.
The competition is shown for every match: in pre-season, several of these games are friendlies.
| Date | Opponent | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 22, 2026 | Wrexham(away) | 1-1 | Championship |
| 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 |
| Date | Opponent | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 22, 2026 | QPR(away) | 0-0 | Championship |
| Aug 15, 2026 | Preston(home) | 2-1 | Championship |
| Aug 8, 2026 | Sheffield Wednesday(away) | 0-1 | League Cup |
| Aug 1, 2026 | NAC Breda(home) | 1-0 | Friendlies Clubs |
| Jul 28, 2026 | Fleetwood Town(away) | 1-1 | Friendlies Clubs |
What does the head-to-head say?
Across the last 6 meetings: 3 Watford win(s), 0 draw(s), 3 Bolton win(s).
| Date | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 12, 2022 | Watford 0-2 Bolton | Friendlies Clubs |
| Feb 14, 2015 | Bolton 3-4 Watford | Championship |
| Aug 9, 2014 | Watford 3-0 Bolton | Championship |
| Feb 22, 2014 | Bolton 2-0 Watford | Championship |
| Nov 23, 2013 | Watford 0-1 Bolton | Championship |
| Feb 2, 2013 | Watford 2-1 Bolton | Championship |
How many goals should we expect?
Watford score 0.9 and concede 1.7 goals per match over their last 15; Bolton score 1.7 and concede 1.0. The model gives a 48% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watford | 0.9 | 1.7 | 3 | 7/15 | 8/15 |
| Bolton | 1.7 | 1.0 | 5 | 9/15 | 7/15 |
Over the last 15 matches in all competitions.
Where do both teams sit in the table?
Watford sit 7th in Championship (4 points from 2 matches) and Bolton sit 8th (4 points from 2 matches).
| # | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Watford | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| 8 | Bolton | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
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 Watford vs Bolton?
- The Footlab model makes Bolton the favourite at 40%, against 28% for a draw and 33% for Watford.
- Where and when is Watford vs Bolton played?
- Watford vs Bolton is played on December 19, 2026 at 03:00 PM (UTC) at Vicarage Road, in the Championship.
- Will there be over 2.5 goals?
- The Footlab model gives a 48% 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.