Separated by just one point in the middle of the Championship table, Watford and Sheffield Wednesday will do battle for a top-half place on the final day of the season on Saturday.
The visitors head to Vicarage Road in 12th spot with a one-point lead over their hosts, who have dropped into the bottom half following four straight defeats.
Match preview
Watford head into their final game of the Championship season on Saturday aiming to end a losing run and return to the top half to finish the campaign on a high.
In their first full season under the management of Tom Cleverley, the Hornets impressed for large parts, despite winning just two of their last 11 outings since the beginning of March.
The most recent of those, a 1-0 home triumph over Hull City in early April, left them still with a chance of a top-six finish on 56 points from 41 outings, but they have endured another rut since, going on to lose each of their last four games having firstly fallen to West Bromwich Albion.
The Easter weekend double-header then produced defeats to Burnley and Portsmouth, before Cleverley’s side most recently visited playoff-chasing Blackburn Rovers last weekend and again left empty-handed, despite leading through Mattie Pollock until the hour mark, as Todd Cantwell and Tyrhys Dolan went on to fire the hosts to a 2-1 win.
Now sitting 13th with 56 points still on the board, having won 16 and lost 21 of their 45 league games, Watford will at least hope to end their campaign on a relative high and return to the top half with a victory at Vicarage Road.
Their visitors, meanwhile, make the trip south in search of a final-day win to extend their slender lead over the hosts and cement their own top-half finish.
Sheffield Wednesday also spent large parts of the Championship season around the playoff race, but they would fall out of contention following a six-match winless run between mid-March and mid-April, having managed just two draws alongside four defeats in that time.
Then hoping to end their campaign on a high under Danny Rohl, the Owls did return to winning ways on Easter Monday in impressive fashion, beating Middlesbrough 2-1 thanks to second-half goals from Josh Windass and Anthony Musaba, after Finn Azaz had the visitors ahead early on.
Portsmouth then visited Hillsborough on Saturday, and after going ahead in the ninth minute through Callum Paterson, Rohl’s men had to settle for a point as the game ended level at a goal apiece following Harvey Blair‘s 23rd-minute leveller.
Now sitting 12th in what may be Rohl’s final game at the helm with off-field issues growing at Hillsborough, Sheffield Wednesday will bid to bow out with a 10th away league win of the campaign to seal a top-half place and a major improvement on last year’s 20th-placed finish.
Team News
Watford continue to contend with several injury issues, as goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann, defender Yasser Larouci, key midfielder Giorgi Chakvetadze and attackers Kwadwo Baah and Amin Nabizada are set to remain confined to the treatment room.
James Morris is a fresh injury concern after last week’s defeat to Blackburn Rovers, although the Hornets will welcome Moussa Sissoko and Kevin Keben back to contention after they served suspensions.
In the absence of Baah, Mamadou Doumbia may again get the nod over Vakoun Issouf Bayo to lead the line, while Tom Ince will likely join Edo Kayembe and Rocco Vata in support of the front man in Morris’s likely absence.
Sheffield Wednesday have several enforced absences of their own, with defenders Max Lowe and Di’Shon Bernard having missed the final months of the season, while Yan Valery may also join them and fellow defenders Dominic Iorfa and Pol Valentin in the treatment room.
That leaves the Owls light at the back, meaning Shea Charles may again have to join Michael Ihiekwe at the heart of the defence, while Liam Palmer may also come in if Valery misses our.
Stuart Armstrong should again join key man Barry Bannan in the engine room, while Michael Smith will hope to continue up front alongside danger men Josh Windass and Djeidi Gassama despite competition from Anthony Musaba, Ike Ugbo and Olaf Kobacki.
Watford possible starting lineup:
Selvik; Ngakia, Pollock, Abankwah, Wiley; Dele-Bashiru, Sissoko; Ince, Louza, Vata; Doumbia
Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:
P Charles; Palmer, Ihiekwe, S Charles; Paterson, Armstrong, Bannan, Johnson; Windass, Ugbo, Gassama
We say: Watford 1-2 Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday head into the final day in a more pleasing run than their hosts and have been one of the Championship’s strongest sides on the road this season.
We back them to prevail again to stay clear of a Watford side depleted by injuries to key men.
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