Watford v Blackburn: Support the Hornets with a solid Bet Builder

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Watford v Blackburn
Sunday August 27, 12:00
Live on Sky Sports

Watford 2.0811/10 head coach Val Ismael is demanding an improvement from his side on Sunday after seeing the Hornets concede their first goal and suffer their first defeat of the Championship season last time out. Having beaten QPR (4-0) and held Plymouth (0-0), the Hertfordshire outfit were turned over 1-0 at Stoke.

Ismael claimed Watford "were missing our identity in the first half" and called on his team "to be ruthless" after an improved second-half effort still fell short in the Potteries. Their best opportunity fell to 19-year-old Colombia international Yaser Asprilla before Ken Sema's long-range effort whistled wide.

Injuries haven't helped. The Hornets made one enforced change to the starting line-up as Jake Livermore came in for Francisco Sierralta, whilst James Morris limped off early. However, Tom Ince was in the matchday 18 for the first time since signing in the summer, and 18-year-old James Collins - who impressed for the U21s last season - was also included.

Rovers fall to first defeat

Blackburn 3.06103/50 boss Jon Dahl Tomasson was proud of his players despite a 2-1 home defeat to Hull in Rovers' most recent outing. Blackburn defended obstinately for the majority of the match and were up against it early on with Harry Pickering dismissed after only 16 minutes of the Ewood Park encounter.

Even so, Sam Gallagher put Blackburn ahead after 74 minutes. But their lead lasted less than seven minutes as Hull turned the tide with two quick-fire goals to seal top honours. Niall Ennis hit a post and a goal-line clearance also denied Rovers a share of the spoils with Tomasson admitting, "I'm extremely disappointed to lose. We didn't deserve that."

Striker Arnor Sigurdsson remains absent through injury and is joined on the treatment table by fellow forward Jack Vale and defender Sam Barnes. Pickering is now suspended.

Hornets can edge tight encounter

Watford are amongst the early performance data leaders in the Championship, although the Hornets' 4-0 thrashing of QPR has a large influence on the numbers.

Nevertheless, Val Ismael's were also dominant winners of both the Expected Goals (xG) and shot count when welcoming Plymouth to Vicarage Road and so will expect another strong display here.

Blackburn also produced eye-catching figures across their first three fixtures, yet Rovers' road record has been questionable under Jon Dahl Tomasson.

The visitors have tabled only seven triumphs on their travels since the start of last season, keeping their sheets clean on only four occasions, scoring twice or more just twice away at top-10 teams.

I'm happy to swerve Both Teams To Score 13/201.65 and Over 2.5 Goals 10/111.91 - Blackburn's openers have all clicked in each of the goal-heavy markets, though Watford's past two tussles have produced just a solitary strike.

Get a free Acca or Bet Builder this weekend

Betfair are offering a free acca or Bet Builder every weekend in August to use on football as the new season returns!

With that in-mind, I'm happy to support Watford Double Chance and Under 3.5 Goals at 3/41.75 as my recommended selection for Sunday's showdown.

Backing our proposed play will see punters paid-out should the Hornets achieve a 1-0, 2-0, 3-0 or 2-1 victory, as well as the potential 0-0 or 1-1 stalemate.