Watford v Sheffield United predictions: Goals may be in short supply

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Watford v Sheffield in the Championship on Monday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Football & Main Event, 8pm Monday

Best bet

Under 2.5 goals
1pt 8-11 general

Team news

Watford
New forwards Vakoun Bayo and Rey Manaj are pushing for starts while Emmanuel Dennis, Ismaila Sarr, Dan Gosling, Tom Cleverley, Craig Cathcart and Daniel Bachmann remain at the club despite being linked with moves away.

Sheffield United
Blades boss will have to make do without Jayden Bogle, Adam Davies and new signing Tommy Doyle for the trip to Vicarage Road.

Match preview

Watford and Sheffield United are two teams expected to be battling it out for promotion at the end of the Championship season, but the Hornets, in particular, may be a work in progress for the first few weeks of the season.

Rob Edwards guided Forest Green to the League Two title last season and those exploits were clearly enough to persuade Watford's owners that he was the right man to mastermind an immediate return to the Premier League this term.

The Hornets collected only 23 points from their 38 games in the top flight last season but they were a force in the Championship the campaign before, winning 19 of their 23 home outings, and should again make their presence felt in the second tier.

There have been plenty of departures for Edwards to deal with but Watford have so far fought off attention for star duo Emmanuel Dennis and Ismaila Sarr, while forwards Vakoun Bayo and Rey Manaj are two eyecatching arrivals.

With such a turnover of players there are bound to be some teething problems at the outset and Vicarage Road visitors Sheffield United look a far more settled unit.

The Blades finished last season strongly to take fifth but fell agonisingly short in the playoff semi-finals as they were beaten by Nottingham Forest on penalties.

Paul Heckingbottom appeared to get a real tune out of the Blades towards the end of last term and there is no reason to think they will take a backwards step, especially given their astute summer recruitment.

Defensively Sheffield United were already strong but the acquisitions of Anel Ahmedhodzic and Ciaran Clark further bolster their rearguard, while Manchester City loanee Tommy Doyle and Reda Khadra will add creativity in the final third.

Locating a regular source of goals has been the Blades' chief concern, however, as they managed only 63 goals in 46 games last season – of which just 25 came on the road. The return of loanee Morgan Gibbs-White to Wolves is a setback in that regard.

Twenty-seven of United’s 46 games last term rewarded backers of under 2.5 goals and given their organisational skills, goals could be at a premium in Monday's season-opener.

Home advantage and a drop in class from the Premier League to the Championship means Watford are rightly favourites to get off to a winning start, but it may take time for them to hit top stride and the wily Blades certainly have the know-how to snuff them out.

Key stat

Watford's final eight games in the Championship in the 2020-21 season finished with under 2.5 goals.

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