Championship club Watford will face League One side Reading in a behind closed doors friendly at The Watford Football Club Training Ground on Saturday in preparation for their upcoming EFL campaigns.
This is Watford and Reading's first pre-season game and both will be hoping that this period can be used to make improvements from last term, considering they finished 15th and 17th in their respective leagues in 2023-24.
Match preview
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After back-to-back seasons in the Championship, the home side will hope that next season they can earn promotion to the Premier League at the third time of asking.
They embark on pre-season with Tom Cleverley, who was appointed permanent manager on April 24 following a somewhat successful interim spell after Valerien Ismael was dismissed on March 9.
Cleverley began his Watford tenure with a victory against Birmingham on March 16 before his side drew their next four games.
The Hornets closed the season with two losses, one draw and a win, and while Cleverley's side struggled for victories, they did at least arrest a run of dire form.
In fact, prior to his appointment as interim manager Watford had lost six out of eight Championship fixtures.
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Additionally, the Hornets managed to keep five clean sheets under Cleverley, and this is an impressive figure considering they had only managed to keep five in the previous 25 league games.
However, given that Cleverley is Watford's 26th manager since November 2008 it is entirely plausible that a slow start to the Championship campaign could lead to his dismissal, and as such he will be aware of the high expectations on him to deliver greater success in the coming season.
Reading manager Ruben Selles has been in charge since June 2023 and took over a side that had just been relegated from England's second division.
It is fair to say that Selles's debut season as a manager in 2023-24 was not particularly fruitful given his side finished 17th in League One and were only nine points clear of Cheltenham Town, who ended the season relegated in 21st place.
However, it should be noted that Reading were deducted six points over the course of the season as a result of owner Dai Yongge's failure to pay staff on time and for late HMRC payments.
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To the team's credit, on the pitch they did score 68 times which was the eighth most in the division, but they also conceded 70 goals, which was the league's fourth-highest figure.
The Royals ended the season in mixed form, winning four, losing three and drawing two of their last nine League One matches.
To add to this, they only managed to keep 11 clean sheets in their 46 league games and conceded 15 goals in their last nine.
Unlike their counterparts Watford, Reading are yet to make any signings in the transfer window, so it will be interesting to see if Selles is backed sufficiently in order to help his team earn promotion back to the Championship.
Team News
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Watford winger Kwadwo Baah spent much of last season on the treatment table after his loan spell with Burton was cut short in January due to a hamstring injury, which has kept him out ever since.
More positively, the Hornets will likely want to give minutes to new signing Mamadou Doumbia, who signed a six-year contract with the club in February and joined on July 1.
Goalkeeper Jonathan Bond also signed a one-year deal with Watford, and given he started his career with the Hornets, he will no doubt be eager for minutes.
Loanees Samuel Kalu and Imran Louza have returned to the club from their respective loans with FC Lausanne-Sport and Lorient, and they could feature in pre-season.
As for Reading, they have made no signings yet and their future under owner Dai Yongge is far from certain.
Winger Paul Mukairu's loan deal from FC Copenhagen has expired, while defenders Clinton Mola and Matty Carson have left the club on free transfers to Bristol Rovers and Grimsby Town respectively.
Elsewhere, left-back Nesta Guinness-Walker and defensive midfielder Sam Hutchinson were released from Reading and are without a club.
Watford possible starting lineup:
Bond; Porteous, Hoedt, Pollock; Grieves, Kone, Kayembe, Baah; Massiah-Edwards, Doumbia, Bayo
Reading possible starting lineup:
Pereira; Abrefa, Mbengue, Bindon, Dorsett; Elliott, Savage; Azeez, Knibbs, Ehibhatiomhan; Wareham
We say: Watford 2-0 Reading
Although Watford have a history of instability when it comes to hiring coaches, they at least have surety of ownership.
Additionally, given Reading's League One status and the fact they are yet to make any signings this window, it is fair to assume they will find it difficult on Saturday.
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