The Championship: Watford – Oxford

No rest at the second tier in England. Round 14 of the Championship concluded Thursday night with a goalless draw between WBA and Burnley, which was not entirely unexpected. And already today, the kickoff for round 15 is here. Both Watford and Oxford have had a good start to the season, and tonight’s home team will enter the top 6 if they score points this evening, something they usually do in front of their home fans.

Home-loving Hornets

After six losses in their first seven away games, Watford managed a rare away victory against Sheffield Wednesday. After a 1-1 draw at halftime, they really broke through in the second half. Ryan Porteous and Tom Ince scored the first two goals for the team, while Vakoun Bayo confidently handled the remaining four. However, the 6-2 win was not followed up, as they left Liberty Stadium in Swansea midweek with a 0-1 loss. It’s likely at home in front of their fans that the points will come in quicker succession. Watford has not lost at Vicarage Road since early March, winning five of their last six home games.

Tom Cleverley’s Watford will have to do without Moussa Sissoko and Francisco Sierralta on Friday, both of whom are suspended, as well as the injured duo Angelo Ogbonna and Tom Dele-Bashiru. Ryan Porteous, however, is back and will likely take his place in central defense from the start.

Injury-Ridden Oxford

After consecutive defeats against league leaders Sunderland and Swansea, Oxford bounced back midweek with a win at home against Hull. Hidde ter Avest became the match-winner with his very first goal for Oxford, securing the club’s first win in eight games. Seventeen points from fourteen matches is a solid performance for last season’s League One team, and as expected, the majority of points are earned at home at Kassam Stadium. Six away games have only resulted in two points.

However, manager Des Buckingham has an injury list that’s becoming a cause for concern. Louie Sibley is a new addition to an injury list that already includes Joe Bennett, Przemyslaw Placheta, Matt Phillips, Kyle Edwards, Siriki Dembele, and key player Cameron Brannagan.

Betting Tip: Watford – Oxford

We have been impressed with Oxford this season, but as mentioned, the points are mainly collected at home. They are also severely hit by injuries and are facing the best home team in the division tonight. The visitors have solid offensive threats in Mark Harris and Dane Scarlett, but we believe Watford will take this one. We at The Tipster are betting on a straight home win at Vicarage Road.