Match Preview: Watford vs Derby County - Expert Analysis

Watford host Derby County for only the third time in the last ten years, as the Hornets look to make it three wins out of three in the Championship this season, while the Rams are hoping to avoid becoming just another club to fall at the hand of Tom Cleverley's Watford.

Watford vs Derby County Standings

Watford have had an excellent start to their Championship season, with Tom Cleverley leading them to two wins to kick start their promotion push. Their first two games couldn't have been more different as a late winner saved their blushes after letting Millwall come back on the opening day, whereas in their second match the Hornets were absolutely dominant, brushing aside Stoke with a 3-0 win. They now are joint top on points but are behind both Sunderland and Burnley in third on goal difference, but Cleverley and his squad should be proud of the fantastic start to the season they have had.

Derby had a horror start to the Championship, losing 4-2 away at Ewood Park to Blackburn Rovers, even gifting Sammie Szmodics a fairwell goal, before the winger signed for Premier League side Ipswich. Last week things were different as the Rams shocked the EFL with a surprise win at the Baseball Ground over Middlesbrough as a dreadful backpass put Kayden Jackson through on goal and allowed the forward to go around the keeper to gift Derby a crucial 1-0 win. They now find themselves in 12th with a goal difference of -1.

Watford vs Derby County head to head

26 Apr 2014 - Derby County 4-2 Watford

22 Nov 2014 - Watford 1-2 Derby County

03 Apr 2015 - Derby County 2-2 Watford

16 Oct 2020 - Derby County 0-1 Watford

19 Feb 2021 - Watford 2-1 Derby County

It's difficult to take any information from thes results as they stretch as far back as 10 years. The more recent results side with Watford which aligns with the decline of Derby County over the last decade.

Watford vs Derby County top scorers

Watford

1. Edo Kayembe - 3 goals
2. Tom Ince - 3 goals
3. Ryan Andrews - 1 goal

Derby County

1. Kayden Jackson - 2 goals
2. Curtis Nelson - 1 goal
3. Kane Wilson - 1 goal

Watford vs Derby County Team News

Wesley Hoedt is expected to miss yet another match for Watford as the player is still in recovery.

Defender Jake Rooney is expected to be out of the Derby squad for some time, with an aim to be back in early 2025 after suffering a severe injury ti his cruciate ligament.

Corey Blackett-Taylor is close to returning for Derby after recovering from injury but it remains to be seen whether he will be in Saturday's squad.

Watford vs Derby County Predicted Line-ups

Watford: Bachmann; Morris, Sierralta, Pollock; Andrews, Sissoko, Dele-Bashiru, Larouci; Kayembe, Chakvetadze; Bayo.

Derby County: Vickers; Nyambe, Nelson, Bradley, Elder; Goudmijn, Ozoh, Osborn; Jackson, Mendez-Laing, Collins.

Watford vs Derby County Player to Watch

Edo Kayembe is our player to watch for this match after the Congolese midfielder scored a brace in Watford's last outing against Stoke City. He currently has three goals in the Championship after just two games and more impressively he has scored these goals from just 0.9 xG, which give him an over-performance of 2.1. This isn't sustainable over a long period of time, but it does suggest Kayembe is in red-hot form and Derby should be afraid.

Where can I watch Watford vs Derby County?

This match is unavailable to watch in the UK.