• Watford won 3-2 at Derby to go four games unbeaten

• North End remain in play-off places despite Blackburn defeat

• Recommended bet: Watford to win and both teams to score

Watford host Preston in the Championship at Vicarage Road on Tuesday night knowing a victory would take them level on points with North End.

The Hornets earned a late 3-2 comeback victory over Derby County at the weekend, while the Lilywhites fell to a disappointing 2-1 home defeat to Blackburn Rovers on Friday evening.

The latest Watford vs Preston odds are available on LiveScore Bet

Team news

Hornets forward Kwadwo Baah was forced off after only 35 minutes against Derby on Saturday and is a major doubt, while Giorgi Chakvetadze, Caleb Wiley and Jack Grieves remain sidelined through injury.

Goalkeeper Egil Selvik is also set to miss out with a shoulder problem, so Nathan Baxter is set to keep his spot after deputising at Pride Park.

Preston captain Ben Whiteman picked up his third yellow card in a row against Blackburn and his fifth of the season, so the midfielder is suspended for the trip south.

Harrison Armstrong will need to be assessed after the Everton loanee missed the last game with a groin injury, while Lewis Gibson and Brad Potts are definitely absent for the Lilywhites.

The stats

Watford lost this fixture 2-1 last season, while they last lost consecutive home league games against Preston back in August 2005.

North End did the league double over the Hornets last season, having won just two of their previous 13 against Watford before that.

Having lost their first four home league games in 2025, Watford have since lost three of their last 15 at Vicarage Road.

When they have not kept a clean sheet, Preston have won just one of their last 31 away league games, though that was that 2-1 victory at Watford in January last season.

The latest Watford vs Preston odds are available on LiveScore Bet

Prediction

Watford have won four of their last five matches at Vicarage Road and can again make home advantage count to beat a Preston side who have picked up just a point in the last two games.

The Hornets have found a level of consistency under Javi Gracia and can take a big step towards getting a grip on the top half of the table with a victory which would see them level with North End on 26 points.

Only three points separate fourth place and 13th position, so every result matters when it comes to optics at this stage of the campaign.

A win for Watford would put them firmly in the play-off picture heading into the busy festive period.

Backing both teams to score could be a smart pick, with Watford finding the net in all but one of their last 10 games and Preston getting on the scoresheet in eight of their last nine matches.

Back Watford to win and both teams to score at 3.25/1 with LiveScore Bet