Watford v Preston result
Team pages: Watford · Preston · Head-to-head
Watford 1–2 Preston — Preston won this Championship match.
The result
Preston won 2–1 at Vicarage Road in the Championship on Tuesday 21 January. Watford have scored in 11 consecutive matches in all competitions.
The goals
Preston led 1–0 at half-time. The goals — Preston: Milutin Osmajić (17’, assisted by Jayden Meghoma; 56’, assisted by M. Frokjaer-Jensen); Watford: Rocco Vata (90’, assisted by Matthew Pollock).
The numbers
Expected goals (xG) agree with the result: Watford 0.38, Preston 2.44, from 10 shots to 15 (the provider’s expected goals for this match).
Discipline
T. Nield showed two yellow cards — against 3.6 yellows a game across the last 11 matches refereed (this competition). The bookings — Preston: Jordan Storey (27’) and S. Þórðarson (71’).
What it changes
Preston are unbeaten in their last four matches in all competitions.
Who stood out
By TACTIX Impact for this match, Rocco Vata (Watford) 9.0, Milutin Osmajić (Preston) 8.8 and Alistair McCann (Preston) 7.1 led the match.
Next up
Watford next travel to Wolves on 24 October 2026.
Preston next host West Brom on 24 October 2026.
Written from the matches TACTIX holds for both sides; each figure names the games it is counted over.
Next for Watford: Wolves v Watford, Saturday 24 October — the preview. Next for Preston: Preston v West Brom, Saturday 24 October — the preview.
The numbers
- Result: Watford 1–2 Preston · Championship
- Venue: Vicarage Road · Watford
- Referee: T. Nield
- Head-to-head (last 6): Watford 2 · draws 3 · Preston 1 · 1.67 goals/game
- Recent form: Watford 1W 1D 3L · Preston 2W 2D 1L
Watford 1–2 Preston (Championship): this fixture is settled. TACTIX’s pre-match coverage ran across every major market, and every graded call — wins and losses — is in the live track record (as of 8 May 2026). See the live track record →
Key stats
The day’s free picks, by email
Every morning at 07:30 UK: the model’s free picks, each with its confidence tier and that tier’s settled record, misses included. No tips, no guarantees, one click to leave.
Match statistics & details
| Watford | Preston | |
|---|---|---|
| 68% | Possession | 32% |
| 0.38 | Expected goals (xG) | 2.44 |
| 10 | Shots | 15 |
| 4 | Shots on target | 8 |
| 2 | Shots off target | 5 |
| 4 | Blocked shots | 2 |
| 4 | Shots inside the box | 10 |
| 4 | Corners | 2 |
| 2 | Offsides | 3 |
| 8 | Fouls | 14 |
| 0 | Yellow cards | 2 |
| 0 | Red cards | 0 |
| 5 | Saves | 3 |
| 594 | Passes | 276 |
| 87% | Pass accuracy | 67% |
Watford player stats
| Player | Min | G | A | Sh | SoT | KP | Tkl | Cards | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. Bond | 90 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.7 |
| F. Sierralta | 90 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7.6 |
| M. Pollock | 90 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6.9 |
| M. Sissoko | 90 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6.6 |
| J. Ngakia | 90 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| Rocco Vata | 90 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7.5 |
| V. Bayo | 90 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.7 |
| I. Louza | 77 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6.9 |
| E. Kayembe | 77 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6.9 |
| J. Abankwah | 45 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.2 |
| K. Baah | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.5 |
| Y. Larouci sub | 45 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| F. Ebosele sub | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6.2 |
| G. Chakvetadze sub | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6.9 |
| T. Dele-Bashiru sub | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.6 |
| M. Doumbia sub | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.9 |
Preston player stats
| Player | Min | G | A | Sh | SoT | KP | Tkl | Cards | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F. Woodman | 90 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.9 |
| J. Storey | 90 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Y | 6.9 |
| L. Gibson | 90 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7.2 |
| A. Hughes | 90 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6.9 |
| K. Kesler-Hayden | 90 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7.3 |
| A. McCann | 90 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 6.3 |
| S. Þórðarson | 89 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | Y | 7 |
| M. Frokjaer-Jensen | 73 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7.7 |
| M. Osmajić | 73 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8.2 |
| J. Meghoma | 72 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7.2 |
| R. Ledson | 66 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 7.5 |
| D. Holmes sub | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6.6 |
| R. Brady sub | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Sam Greenwood sub | 17 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.6 |
| E. Riis sub | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6.5 |
| L. Lindsay sub | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
Sh = shots, SoT = shots on target, KP = key passes, Tkl = tackles; – = not recorded for that player. Rating is the data provider’s.
Form, head-to-head & standings
The numbers behind Watford v Preston — recent results, past meetings and where each side sits. (TACTIX’s model forecast is in the projections below.)
- 2024-10-02 Preston 3–0 Watford
- 2024-04-06 Watford 0–0 Preston
- 2023-12-16 Preston 1–5 Watford
- 2023-03-04 Watford 0–0 Preston
- 2022-08-20 Preston 0–0 Watford
- 2021-02-16 Preston 0–1 Watford
The full post-match picture
Pro members see this match shot by shot — every attempt with its expected-goals value, the situation and shot-type breakdowns, the xG timeline, and how the model’s pre-match probabilities compared with what happened. Plus every market the model graded for this fixture.
Try Pro for £1.00 — the full match analysis£1.00 for 14 days, then £9.99/month. Cancel in the trial and pay nothing more.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the head-to-head record between Watford and Preston?
- In their last 6 meetings, Watford won 2, Preston won 1 and there were 3 draws, averaging 1.67 goals per game.
- What is the recent form of Watford and Preston?
- Recent form — Watford 1W 1D 3L; Preston 2W 2D 1L.
Today’s boards
Every fixture kicking off in the UK day, and the fixtures where the free pick leads with each market.
This page is generated from TACTIX’s match data by our software and checked automatically; data as of . How it works → · Report an error
How our model works · Live track record · Predictions are model output, not betting advice.