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Watford logo
Championship
Mar 14, 2015 at 3pm UK
 
Reading logo

4-1

Abdi (1'), Vydra (39'), Deeney (48'), Forestieri (85')
FT(HT: 2-0)
Karacan (70')

Preview: Watford vs. Reading

Sports Mole previews the Championship match between promotion hopefuls Watford and FA Cup quarter-finalists Reading.

Watford will hope to boost their chances of securing an automatic promotion spot to the Premier League when they host Reading in the Championship at the weekend.

The Hornets are one of four teams level on 66 points at the top of the table, but their goal difference means that they sit behind Bournemouth and Derby County.

Watford had to come from behind twice to earn a 2-2 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out, extending their unbeaten run to four matches in the league.

Slavisa Jokanovic's side have struggled to keep clean sheets in recent weeks, preventing their opponents from scoring just three times in their last 10 outings, including in a 4-3 win over Bolton Wanderers last month.

For this match, Watford will be without Tommy Hoban, who is suspended after a red card last time out, but there are no new injury problems to trouble the manager, although Odion Ighalo will need a late fitness test.

Troy Deeney will surely continue up front, having scored in each of the team's last four matches, while Matej Vydra will also look to continue his strong run of form, having netted three of three.

The build-up to this match has been marred by the injuries sustained by a fan at Watford's previous fixture, which has resulted in a teenage supporter being arrested.

Meanwhile, Reading will be confident after ending a three-match winless run in the league with a 2-1 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this week.

The Royals have had less time to prepare for this fixture, having been in action midweek as a result of their FA Cup run, which saw them share a goalless draw with Bradford City in the quarter-finals last Saturday.

With the busy fixture list, Steve Clarke may be keen to rotate his squad, with new signing Zat Knight available after joining as a free agent.

Jure Travner was unable to play against Brighton with a knock and remains a doubt for the weekend, while Alex Pearce could be rested again after breaking his nose, but Pavel Pogrebnyak is in line to return to the starting lineup after dropping to the bench in midweek.

Watford edged a 1-0 win over Reading when the sides met at the Madejski Stadium in December, despite playing half the match down to 10 men in what was Clarke's first game in charge of the Royals.

Watford:

Form in Championship: WLWWWD
Form in all competitions: WLWWWD

Possible starting lineup: Gomes, Paredes, Angella, Cathcart, Murray, Guedioura, Watson, Tozser, Abdi, Deeney, Vydra

Reading:

Form in Championship: LWLLDW
Form in all competitions: WLLDDW

Possible starting lineup: Federici, Gunter, Knight, Hector, Chalobah, Akpan, Williams, Mackie, Robson-Kanu, Blackman, Pogrebnyak

Sports Mole says: 3-2


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The trophy is displayed during the Sky Bet Championship match between Burnley and Leicester City at Turf Moor on March 29, 2014
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sunderland139222391429
2Leeds UnitedLeeds137512281426
3Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd138321661025
4Burnley136521761123
5Watford137152221122
6West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom13562148621
7Millwall135441612419
8Blackburn RoversBlackburn135441614219
9Bristol City134721717019
10Norwich CityNorwich134632318518
11Middlesbrough135351415-118
12Swansea CitySwansea13445109116
13Coventry CityCoventry134361717015
14Derby CountyDerby134361617-115
15Hull City133641517-215
16Stoke CityStoke134361518-315
17Cardiff CityCardiff134361319-615
18Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds134361524-915
19Oxford UnitedOxford Utd133551617-114
20Preston North EndPreston133551420-614
21Luton TownLuton133371521-612
22Plymouth ArgylePlymouth133371325-1212
23Queens Park RangersQPR131751119-810
24Portsmouth131661326-139


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