Watford play host to Queens Park Rangers on Saturday afternoon looking for the win that will keep the club in the playoff places.
At a time when the Hornets sit in fifth place in the Championship table, the visitors to Vicarage Road are 23rd after a rare triumph in midweek.
Match preview
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With 28 matches as Watford boss, Tom Cleverley is incredibly the club's third longest-serving manager of the last 11 permanent incumbents.
However, there is every sign that the former midfielder is building something at Vicarage Road with Watford having now collected 29 points from their 17 league fixtures during 2024-25.
A fourth win in six games came earlier this week as they battled their way to a 1-0 victory over Bristol City, the third successive home fixture that has been won by that scoreline.
Watford remain as one of four teams to remain unbeaten on familiar territory in the Championship this season, dropping just two points and conceding only four goals.
Three struggling sides in QPR, Cardiff City and Hull City now await in quick succession, with Cleverley aware that there is an opportunity to remain in the hunt for the league title.
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Although QPR remain in the bracket of a struggling side, they finally recorded their second win of the season in midweek as they overcame Cardiff.
Aside from a 4-1 reverse to Middlesbrough, there have been glimmers that improvements are on the way, and that materialised in South Wales on Wednesday night as they registered a 2-0 win.
Now having lost just two of their last seven games, head coach Marti Cifuentes will hope that the Hoops are ready to turn a corner and move clear of danger.
With just four points separating them to 16th-placed Luton Town, there is a window of opportunity to pull themselves back into the pack above the relegation zone.
Team News
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Cleverley is unlikely to overly tinker with his Watford XI for this fixture after the win over Bristol City.
James Morris and Yasser Larouci are both alternatives in defence and at wing-back respectively, while Moussa Sissoko made an impact as a half-time substitute versus the Robins.
Angelo Ogbonna and Tom Dele-Bashiru both remain on the sidelines through injury.
Cifuentes will give consideration to naming the same QPR starting lineup despite a number of senior players being available again after injury.
Kenneth Paal, Morgan Fox and Lucas Andersen are all options to come into the team, but Jake Clarke-Salter and Ilias Chair are still absent.
Watford possible starting lineup:
Bachmann; Porteous, Sierralta, Pollock; Andrews, Kayembe, Louza, Ebosele; Baah, Bayo, Chakvetadze
Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:
Nardi; Dunne, Cook, Morrison, Ashby; Varane, Field; Smyth, Madsen, Saito; Celar
We say: Watford 2-0 Queens Park Rangers
Although QPR will be on a high after their success in midweek, facing Watford on away territory is an entirely different challenge. We feel the Hornets will come through with a clean sheet, albeit in a match that could remain competitive throughout.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Darren Plant
