Watford vs Preston: prediction and stats
ChampionshipRegular Season - 6Kick-off on September 8, 2026 at 06:45 PM (UTC)Vicarage Road, Watford
The Footlab model makes Watford the favourite at 51%, against 25% for a draw and 24% for Preston. 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 23, 2026 — the full match card is recomputed continuously until kick-off.
Who will win Watford vs Preston?
A very open match: only 38 Elo points separate Watford (1,816) and Preston (1,778).
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; Preston have 3, 2 and 10.
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 | Wolves(home) | 1-3 | Championship |
| Aug 15, 2026 | Bolton(away) | 1-2 | Championship |
| Aug 8, 2026 | Huddersfield(home) | 1-1 | League Cup |
| Aug 1, 2026 | Stockport County(away) | 0-1 | Friendlies Clubs |
| Jul 29, 2026 | Bradford(away) | 2-3 | Friendlies Clubs |
What does the head-to-head say?
Across the last 6 meetings: 1 Watford win(s), 3 draw(s), 2 Preston win(s).
| Date | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 14, 2026 | Preston 2-2 Watford | Championship |
| Nov 25, 2025 | Watford 1-1 Preston | Championship |
| Jan 21, 2025 | Watford 1-2 Preston | Championship |
| Oct 2, 2024 | Preston 3-0 Watford | Championship |
| Apr 6, 2024 | Watford 0-0 Preston | Championship |
| Dec 16, 2023 | Preston 1-5 Watford | Championship |
How many goals should we expect?
Watford score 0.9 and concede 1.7 goals per match over their last 15; Preston score 1.3 and concede 1.9. The model gives a 53% probability of over 2.5 goals and 55% 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 |
| Preston | 1.3 | 1.9 | 0 | 11/15 | 10/15 |
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 Preston sit 20th (0 points from 2 matches).
| # | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Watford | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| 20 | Preston | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 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 Watford vs Preston?
- The Footlab model makes Watford the favourite at 51%, against 25% for a draw and 24% for Preston.
- Where and when is Watford vs Preston played?
- Watford vs Preston is played on September 8, 2026 at 06:45 PM (UTC) at Vicarage Road, in the Championship.
- Will there be over 2.5 goals?
- The Footlab model gives a 53% 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.