Watford have lost just once in their last nine matches
Stoke go into this round of fixtures in seventh place in the Championship table
Recommended bet: Both teams to score
Watford are slowly climbing the Championship table having taken 14 points from their last nine games in the league.
The Hornets now trail sixth-placed Hull by just five points and another victory this weekend could potentially see them close the gap on the play-off places even more.
Stoke were seemingly challenging for automatic promotion only a few weeks ago, but a recent poor run of form has seen them drop to seventh place.
The Potters ended a three-game losing run against struggling Swansea last weekend and will be hoping that success is the catalyst for their promotion push, having lost five of their last seven games.
The latest Watford vs Stoke odds are available on LiveScore Bet.
Team news
Watford will definitely be without both Edo Kayembe and Mamadou Doumbia as they will be at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Rocco Vata and Kwadwo Baah are both sidelined by hamstring injuries.
James Abankwah is a doubt for the match which may see Jeremy Ngakia return to the starting XI.
For Stoke, Junior Tchamadeu is at the Africa Cup of Nations with Cameroon but otherwise the Potters have a near full-strength squad to choose from.
The latest Watford vs Stoke odds are available on LiveScore Bet.
The stats
Watford went unbeaten against Stoke last season, drawing 0-0 away from home after securing a 3-0 win at Vicarage Road.
Since the start of the 2015-16 campaign, these clubs have met 15 times with honours even as both have six wins apiece as well as three draws.
Both teams have scored in each of Watford's last eight games.
Despite Stoke sitting seven places ahead of the home side ahead of this match, only four points separates them.
The Hornets have only lost one league game at Vicarage Road this season — Blackburn (1-0) in September, winning six and drawing four of their 11 games.
Only five players in the Championship have scored more than Stoke's Sorba Thomas' tally of eight league goals.
The latest Watford vs Stoke odds are available on LiveScore Bet.
Prediction
Watford have been something of draw specialists this season, recording eight of them across 21 league matches, with only Wrexham (10) having drawn more.
The Hornets are perhaps tough to trust, having won seven and losing six, but they are tough to beat, particularly at home, and the preferred way of playing this potentially crucial clash is to go for goals.
Watford's recent upturn in form has obviously coincided with more goals but they are struggling to keep clean sheets. That should offer Stoke plenty of opportunities, particularly on the back of a morale-boostng win as they look to get their play-off push back on track.
Back both teams to score at 8/11 with LiveScore Bet.
The latest Watford vs Stoke odds are available on LiveScore Bet.
