Ipswich Town vs Watford Prediction & Betting Tips - Championship

Prediction published on 10/04/2024, 06:27  by Daniel Ngulu in Championship Predictions

The Championship promotion drama could have another twist on Wednesday when Ipswich Town host Watford at Portman Road. Ipswich start the game a point below the league leaders while Watford are nine points above the relegation zone. The hosts are smarting from a 1-0 defeat to Norwich City in the East Anglian derby, ending their three-game winning run. For the first time in 17 matches, Ipswich, title contenders, failed to score. The one area Ipswich have struggled in this season, is in defence. No team has conceded as many as Ipswich have in the top five this season. They’ve let in 52 goals in their 41 matches so far, but scored the most (84). In their 41 matches in the Championship, Ipswich have managed just 13 clean sheets, failing to score in only five. As it is, the race for automatic promotion is shaping into a three-horse race and Ipswich’s fate is in their hands. They’ll want to avoid dropping any more points in their bid to finish in the top two, with five games to play.

Watford’s own season is hinged more towards survival than contesting for promotion. They have managed 51 points up to this stage of their campaign and still need nine points to secure survival. Tom Cleverley is expected to deliver survival for the Hornets, being the latest in the unstable coaching department at the club. He has led them to four unbeaten matches since taking over but the last three were draws. Their most recent match ended in a 0-0 draw with Preston North End. That left a dent in Preston’s promotion hopes and Watford will be out to serve the same on Ipswich. However, with just one win in eight, they may be short in confidence. In this eight-game run, they managed just two clean sheets. They have seven defeats in their last 13 matches and will be clear underdogs coming here. It won't help that Watford lost three straight games against Ipswich before this meeting. In the reverse fixture, they let an early lead slip and lost 2-1.