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Two of the best teams in the EFL Championship go head-to-head as Brentford take on Watford at the Brentford Community Stadium on Saturday.
The hosts will look to extend their unbeaten run to 11 games, while Watford head into this one aiming to grab a third straight win.
Brentford made it 10 games without defeat last time out when they claimed a 1-0 win over Rotherham United.
Bryan Mbeumo’s 26th-minute strike was all that separated the sides as the Bees grabbed their 22nd win of the season.
With 81 points from 44 games, Brentford have now moved up to third place in the league standings.
However, they could drop three spots down with a defeat as they are level on points with the three teams below them.
Watford, on the other hand, clinched automatic qualification last week as they grabbed a 1-0 win over Millwall.
Ismaila Sarr scored the all-important goal from the penalty spot in the 11th minute to hand Watford their 26th win of the season.
The Hornets have now returned to the English top-flight at first ask after they were relegated last season.
Watford will now aim to finish their season in high-flying form, starting with a win on Saturday.
Brentford vs Watford Head-To-Head
A look at the 72 previous meetings between the two sides shows this fixture has always been a closely-fought contest. Watford have been the slightly better side, picking up 26 wins. Brentford have claimed 20 wins, while it has ended all square 26 times.
Watford are unbeaten in their last five games against Brentford, with their last encounter ending in a 1-1 draw.
Brentford Form Guide: W-D-D-W-W
Watford Form Guide: D-W-L-W-W
Brentford vs Watford Team News
Brentford
The hosts will be without several key players. Joshua Dasilva (muscle), Henrik Dalsgaard (knee), Rico Henry (hamstring) and Shandon Baptiste (knee) are all sidelined with injuries.
Swedish defender Pontus Jansson is still suspended after picking up a red card in the 1-0 win over Bournemouth.
Injured: Joshua Dasilva, Henrik Dalsgaard, Rico Henry, Shandon Baptiste
Suspended: Pontus Jansson
Watford
Watford, on the other hand, will still be without club captain Troy Deeney, who has been out with a long-term Achilles tendon injury.
Tom Dele-Bashiru is also out with an ACL injury. Meanwhile, right-back Kiko Femenia is a doubt after suffering an injury in last week’s clash with Millwall.
Injured: Troy Deeney, Tom Dele-Bashiru
Doubtful: Kiko Femenia
Brentford vs Watford Predicted XI
Brentford Predicted XI (4-3-3): David Raya, Mads Roerslev Rasmussen, Ethan Pinnock, Charlie Goode, Mads Bech Sorensen, Mathias Jensen, Vitaly Janelt, Christian Norgaard, Bryan Mbeumo, Ivan Toney, Sergi Canos
Watford Predicted XI (4-3-3): Daniel Bachmann; Adam Masina, Francisco Sierralta, William Troost-Ekong, Jeremy Ngakia; Philip Zinckernagel, Will Hughes, Nathaniel Chalobah; Ken Sema, Joao Pedro, Ismaila Sarr
Brentford vs Watford Prediction
Occupying third and second positions respectively, Brentford and Watford have been impressive in the EFL Championship. Brentford have been solid on home turf this season, boasting the league’s fourth-best record at home.
We fancy them to build on this run of results and earn all three points against the Hornets.
Prediction: Brentford 2-1 Watford
