Match Pack: Watford v West Bromwich Albion

• Watford v West Bromwich Albion
• Sky Bet Championship
• Vicarage Road
• Wednesday September 20, 7.45pm KO
• Yellow and black home kit

• Referee: Leigh Doughty
• Assistant Referees: Nigel Lugg and Ian Cooper
• Fourth Official: James Linington

Alongside the Hornets, West Brom are the only other team to currently sit on eight points in the Championship, with both sides sharing an identical record – two wins, two draws and two losses. Carlos Corberán’s Baggies are winless in their last two matches though, with their last victory coming against Middlesbrough in late August.

The Midlands-based side will be hoping to exact revenge for a disappointing record at Vicarage Road, with West Brom’s last victory in Hertfordshire coming in 2007.

• Watford are unbeaten in their last five league games against West Brom (W3 D2).

• Meanwhile, the away side are winless in their last five league visits to Watford (D2 L3), losing the last three in a row. Their last win at Vicarage Road came back in November 2007 in the Championship.

• The Golden Boys’ three successive league wins at Vicarage Road against the Baggies between 2017 and 2023 are as many as in their previous 15 such games (D5 L7).

For a full statistical breakdown, check out Stats Buzz: West Bromwich Albion In Numbers.

For Watford, Ken Sema is set for a short spell on the sidelines having picked up a muscle injury in the recent international break. Meanwhile, Vakoun Bayo is available for the clash.

Full team news can be found HERE.

For West Brom, Josh Maja is set for an extended spell out after suffering an ankle injury in the final moments of West Brom’s most recent match against Bristol City. Daryl Dike also remains unavailable due to injury.

Valérien Ismaël, Watford Head Coach:

“I’m not emotional and I don’t want to be emotional. It’s just the next Championship game and after that, we have the next one. It’s all about the focus being on Watford and what we have to do. We need to prepare the players to win the game and it’s a home game. We want to win regardless of the opponent we face – this is my mindset.

“I think there are still a lot of players at West Brom who I used to work with and it was a good time. We did some very good work and when I left I had a lot of messages from the players, but now it’s another chapter and I’m just looking forward to the next game.”

Click HERE to see Ismaël’s full pre-match press conference.

Carlos Corberán, West Brom Head Coach:

“[Ismaël] is a very good coach with a very aggressive team in defence that is going to make Wednesday’s game a very competitive one. They are going to press us every single time we have the ball. We know this is going to happen without a doubt. We need to know where we can get an advantage and how to play that game properly.

“The opponents are strong and are all very well coached. It means that every game is a big game and Watford on Wednesday is no different. It’s going to be a very demanding game. They have a good squad and a good coach. When you put these things together, you know it’s going to be a challenging game.”

Overall:

Won: 14
Drawn: 11
Lost: 18

Last Six:

February 2023: Watford 3-2 West Bromwich Albion (Championship)
August 2022: West Bromwich Albion 1-1 Watford (Championship)
March 2018: Watford 1-0 West Bromwich Albion (Premier League)
September 2017: West Bromwich Albion 2-2 Watford (Premier League)
April 2017: Watford 2-0 West Bromwich Albion (Premier League)
December 2016: West Bromwich Albion 3-1 Watford (Premier League)

Watford’s most recent win against the Baggies came in February 2023, when an Ismaïla Sarr goal and a Ken Sema brace secured a 3-2 victory in the second-tier at The Vic.