Watford will be determined to get back to winning ways at the first time of asking when they welcome a struggling Reading side to Vicarage Road on Tuesday evening.
We’ve taken a closer look at the Championship clash to pick out two recommended bets.
Watford vs Reading Betting Tips
Watford suffered a surprising home defeat to Coventry City at the weekend but before that loss to the Sky Blues, the Hornets were on a three-game winning streak in the Championship.
Reading have won just one of their last eight league games and go into this contest on the back of a 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Preston.
Watford should be confident going into this encounter, having won three of their last four games against Reading.
The Hornets are favourites at 4/5 to win, 12/5 to draw and 16/5 to lose against Paul Ince’s Royals.
Team news
Watford have been forced to cope with a number of injuries in recent weeks, with the likes of Tom Cleverley, Imran Louza, Rey Manaj and Jeremy Ngakia all on the sidelines.
Manager Slaven Bilic will also have to do without the duo of Hassane Kamara and Francisco Sierralta, with the pair to miss the arrival of the Royals due to suspension.
As for Reading, hamstring injuries will keep the duo of Sam Hutchinson and Femi Azeez from playing, while Scott Dann and Naby Sarr remain sidelined.
Ovie Ejaria was on the bench for the defeat at the hands of Preston North End and is pushing for a starting role against the Hornets.
Half-time/Full-time – Draw/Watford – 18/5
While Reading have been on a poor run of form, they have been competitive in the first halves of their recent games.
In all of their last four games in the Championship the scoreline has been goalless at the break.
Watford’s quality should show over the 90 minutes, but expect Reading to make life difficult for the Hornets, especially in that first half.
With that in mind, a level scoreline at the break and a Watford win at full-time is worthy of consideration at 18/5.
Joao Pedro anytime goalscorer – 7/4
Watford’s Brazilian forward Joao Pedro has made a patchy start to the new campaign, as he has four league goals to his name so far this term.
Scoring in back-to-back wins against Luton Town and Wigan Athletic last month will have boosted the 21-year-old’s confidence after a slow start to the season.
And with just two clean sheets in their last nine games in the Championship, Reading continue to have issues in defence.
Joao Pedro, who has been previously linked with a move to high-flying Premier League side Newcastle United, is likely to have opportunities in Tuesday’s game and looks to be well-priced at 7/4 to find the back of the net.
