MIDDLESBROUGH V WATFORD
SAT 25 APRIL 12:30 - RIVERSIDE STADIUM
Despite just playing yesterday evening, it's now only 48 hours to the next game - so barely time to recover and reflect before moving on. After getting their first win at the Riverside since January against bottom-club Sheffield Wednesday, Boro now welcome the team currently bottom of the form table in Watford.
The Hornets have not won any of their last six games, having lost 4 and drawn 2 (DLDLLL) with those draws being against Charlton and relegated Leicester - plus neither of them have won any of their last six games too. Incidentally, that win on Wednesday has lifted Boro to 18th in the form table (DLDLDW).
Watford Football Club has experienced significant fluctuation between Premier League and the EFL Championship since the Pozzo family ownwership began in 2014/2015. In the last 12 years, there have been numerous managerial changes with more than 15 permanent managers/coaches and many more caretakers - Below is the club's record under the family's tenure.
2025-2026 Championship 15th (after 44 games) 2024-2025 Championship 14th 2023-2024 Championship 15th 2022-2023 Championship 11th 2021-2022 Premier League 19th (relegated) 2020-2021 Championship 2nd (promoted) 2019-2020 Premier League 19th (relegated) 2018-2019 Premier League 11th 2017-2018 Premier League 14th 2016-2017 Premier League 17th 2015-2016 Premier League 13th 2014-2015 Championship 2nd (promoted) 2018-2019 FA Cup Final Lost (6-0 by Man City)
HEAD COACH
Ed Still (35) was appointed at Watford FC on February 9, 2026, signing a two-and-a-half-year contract. The Belgian-born coach, previously worked at Anderlecht, Charleroi and as assistant to his brother Will at Lens. (who was Head Coach at Southampton before being sacked on 2 November)
Watford play in a 4-4-2 formation under Still and below is their usual starting XI for recent games.
SELVIC
PETRIS - POLLOCK - GOGLICHIDZE - ABANKWAH
IRANKUNDA - N MENDY - LOUZA (C) - CHAKVETADZE
KJERRUMGAARD - KAYEMBE
WATFORD SQUAD
In the summer window, Watford sold players worth £12.4m and brought in players for £6.3m - including 6 loanees - 3 from Udines in Kjerremgaard, Goglichidze and Abankwah - with the Italian club also being owned by the Pozzo family!
They also brought in on a free, ex-Boro full-back, Marc Bola. Defender Matthew Pollock is the son of Boro ex-player Jamie Pollock and was previously an Academy player with the Boro, who later signed full professional terms with Grimsby Town, before signing for Watford in 2021.
The squad is comprised of almost 80 percent non-UK players and includes 11 international players with an average age of 24.6 years. Below is table of the stats of current players this season - which includes a number of tall defenders and a 6'5" centre-forward.
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Height Market Age Goals Assists
Value
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1 E SELVIC (GK) 1.93m** €1.3m 28
29 J PETRIS (RB) 1.83m €2.0m 28
6 M POLLOCK (RCB) 1.90m** €1.5m 24 1 1
3 S GOGLICIDZE*(RCB) 1.92m** €4.5m 21
25 J ABANKWAH*(RCB) 1.88m** €1.5m 22
66 N IRANKUNDA (RW) 1.76m €6.0m 26 4 5
23 N MENDY (DMF) 1.68m €1.2m 33
10 I LOUZA (AMF) 1.78m €14.0m 26 7 9
8 G CHAKVETADZE (AMF) 1.83m €4.5m 26 3
9 L KJERRUMGAARD*(CF) 1.96m** €6.0m 23 10 1
39 E KEYEMBE (CMF) 1.83m €4.0m 27 1
Recent Substitutes
12 N BAXTER (GK) 27
27 F MENDY*(CB) 25
20 M DOUMBIA (CF) 20 4 1
4 K KEBEN (RCB) 22
17 P EKWAH*(LMF) 24
7 T INCE (RW) 34 4
15 E BOVE (MF) 23 1
18 V SEMEDO (CF) 21 4 2
16 M BOLA (FB) 28 2 3
42 O MAAMMA (RW) 20 4 1
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* Loan players
** Players over 6 foot (1.83m)
So, this doesn't look the most difficult game on paper for Boro and maybe an opportunity to give the supporters something to cheer in their last home league game of the season - though unless Millwall, Ipswich and Southampton all mess up their remaining games, Boro will have another Riverside outing in the play-offs to come.
Automatic or playoffs, a win on Saturday will give us some substance to the Wrexham game, thank you Pedro de Espana for another excellent opener.
Come on BORO.
Thanks for a great starter, Pedro. I wonder where our players’ heads will be on Saturday. They’re (almost) guaranteed a playoff spot and automatic promotion seems extremely unlikely so how good will their concentration be on winning at all costs?
Of course, however unlikely, it could be this season’s last home game, so the spectators certainly deserve 100% commitment. I’d like to see a few on the fringe given a game with Castledine starting if he’s fit enough. Maybe give Cruz Ibeh a try up front for 30 minutes in the second half if we’re winning at that stage.
It could all be about momentum now, so a win would build confidence for what’s to come.
Thanks Pedro. Really interesting statistics, of which I knew nothing, other than their legendary hiring and firing of managers on something like a 6-monthly cycle! Will Still (not his brother! Apologies werder) still be in place come Saturday? Who knows, with these owners?
Watford have surprised me a bit this season. I thought they’d do better than they actually have, though Pedro’s list of their Championship finishes suggests they’ve been pretty average over several seasons. I think of them as an attacking side with dangerous flair players, but perhaps that’s my recollection of the side that whipped us at Vicarage Road in Carrick’s last season?
I’ve genuinely no idea how they will play on Saturday. What is the point of them playing for a draw? They might as well go for the win to see if they can move up the table a couple of places and earn themselves a few more pennies. I hope they do come and play enterprisingly.
I also hope Boro play much, much better than last night and that KH drives his players on to go for the win and be ruthless. There’s still a tiny chance of an automatic slot.
Thanks for the great starter Pedro. After Wednesday's very uninspiring offering hopefully Saturday will see Boro being a bit more positive as it looks like Watford have signed off for this season. Two players we have to be aware of are Imran Louza, Moroccan midfielder signed from Nantes for 10 million, and Australian forward Nestory Irankunda, who is seriously quick. He is only 20, born in a refugee camp in Tanzania, before emigrating to Perth. Signed by Bayern Munich before his transfer to Watford. I was surprised that Louza didn't make the Championship team of the season. Both Louza and Irakunda have quite short fuses and have both been sent off this season. The referee is Adam Herczeg who has produced red cards in two of his bro games at Leicester and Stoke. Interestingly the only penalty he has given was the one Leicester were given in our game, and he has refereed Ipswich twice !
Welcome to the roster, Pedro. Well done. Up the Boro!
Nice work, Pedro. Always good to see a fresh face from the academy make his debut at this stage of the season.
Thanks for volunteering to cover OFB - you’d never have known you’ve not done one before 👍👌
Thank you to one and all, for your kind words.
I must admit though to it being a little difficult to produce using my Google Documents format, and some of the layout did look a little like a dogs dinner.
However, over the hill came my knight in shining armour, in the shape of Werder. With his lance and sword skills he chopped and changed it to look as nice as it does. Even adding a couple of paragraphs worthy of this blog.
So, not all my own work, but pleased with the end result.
@pedro A great debut there and unlike our strikers you certainly managed to hit the back of the net with that intro.
Interesting to see how Watford have performed in recent years and the new owners are not exactly improving things.
Like others have said, I hope that the team can get their heads together to try and get some momentum going and Believe that they can progress and give a good account of themselves in the play offs so that they will be (I’m) Still Standing at the end rather than saying that Sorry Seems to be The Hardest Word and for us supporters to be saying that I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues.
I probably wont be able to post again until Sunday as we are going to London tomorrow so my prediction is that Boro will win 2 1 so that they Don’t Go Breaking My Heart!
Sorry for the play on words from a famous previous Watford chairman!
A terrific intro Pedro. Thank you.
Let's play our strongest side and get some momentum going into the play-offs.
UTB
Somehow I contrived to post this on the SheffW thread 🙄
Brilliant Pedro. Thanks for taking up the mantle and in such convincing style.
We have to win and we have to win convincingly. That doesn't necessarily mean by lots of goals, 1-0 would do ao long as we looked positive, played with conviction and with pace and enthusiasm. (Although if we did that it surely would lead to lots of goals anyway)
Above all I am selfish. I am attending from Scotland and demand to be entertained.
So CoB send the Riverside home on a high.
Please.
We’re off to the Yorkshire Arboretum at Castle Howard tomorrow. Let’s hope it’s not a case of our forwards not being able to see the wood for the trees on Saturday as far as goals are concerned.
Thanks Sir Pedro, I was able to squeeze in some time from my latest project in making a round table for Diasboro to just tidy up the presentation and help the information flow 🙂
While it's now down to hoping everyone slips up to revive any slim automatic hopes, rather frustratingly it has been only the last week that took 2nd spot out of Boro's grasp.
Somehow contriving to lose against Portsmouth who had only that 96th-minute shot on target as Boro squandered many decent chances to score and take the three points - together with that refereeing error in gifting Ipswich a late penalty to share a point each rather than see all three go to Boro.
Boro could've so easily had 5 more points and Ipswich one fewer with their game in hand being that difficult trip to Southampton. This could've been the table going into the Watford game where a win may have seen Boro promoted before the final game at Wrexham if Millwall and Ipswich had failed to win their games.
1 Coventry 44 89 2 Boro 44 81 ---------------------- 3 Millwall 44 79 4 Ipswich 43 78 5 Southampton 44 76 6 Wrexham 44 70 ---------------------- 7 Hull 44 70
Instead, it's now about trying to build some momentum and confidence to get the team back to the place it was a few months ago and hoping Hackney and McGree will be fit and Whittaker back to his best.
@werdermouth Yes, the Portsmouth defeat was the last traw, me thinks. Before that I was very hopeful and excited about automatic promotion, like.
But that is past. I hope a 5-2 win on Saturday will improve the mood in here. A Strelec hat-trick and a Fry header. Then Conway and Whittaker a piece ...
Anyway, I am looking forward to the end of the season ping-pong in the Championship. Up the Boro!
Great stuff, Pedro. A very timely and interesting opener, which shows that Watford fans must be just as frustrated with their team's lack of progress over so many years as we are.
The Pozzo ownership always puts me in mind of Waiting for Godot, in which Pozzo is a minor character. So Si might like to file this as the Beckett match with the supporters of both teams waiting interminably for something to turn up before they shake off this mortal coil. Waiting for Promo perhaps.
Many thanks Pedro for a well constructed, informative and enjoyable starter; you have certainly earned a spot as a regular if you wish!
As for tomorrow, I want to see our strongest team dominating and winning this match comfortably; I am not for resting players as it doesn’t always work as per the MC era.😎
@werdermouth Oh nooooo werder. Every time I see something like that, I just think, what a chance we have thrown away, and we will come to regret that once in ten years opportunity.
OK we still have the playoffs, but given our form, missing players, available but not match fit players and the lack of a bench to call on, the semi finals will be hard to deliver, never mind Wembley.
Whilst it has been a recent topic of conversation on here and to whether not achieving promotion would be a great disappointment against another possible successful Championship season, I ask the question, what does the person who really matters think?
Mr Gibson has been a fantastic Owner. Yes mistakes have been made, but surely he above anybody else deserves promotion. There are other Championship clubs that have far richer owners, but have been less successful than MFC over the last ten years.
I would want promotion for him, even though a season in the EPL may not be nice to watch.
@pedro You’ve given me food for thought with your reference to SG. I’m inclined to agree that a horrible season in the EPL, if we manage to get promoted, would be awful for fans but something of a reward for our Chairman after all he’s done for the club.
Whether it would help with his finances, I guess depends on how much we’d have to spend on new players and commensurate wages, to sustain even a slight chance of avoiding relegation. Overall, I think he’d be prepared to take the risk to see Boro back in the top flight.
Despite my oft made comments about personally not being disappointed if we have another year in the Championship, I’d be prepared to suffer a loss laden EPL season for his sake. We owe him that and more.
Good points Pedro and Martin. Good over all for the club and SG if we get promoted.
Pedro
many thanks for the opener preview it’s much appreciated
OFB
I hope a 5-2 win on Saturday will improve the mood in here. A Strelec hat-trick and a Fry header. Then Conway and Whittaker a piece ...
I know my maths is bad, Jarkko, but shouldn't that be 6-2 (Strelec 3, Fry, Conway & Whittaker)? 😉
i I lost count on the score.it makes 6-2 with the scorers I listed earlier. 😁@werdermouth Yes, the Portsmouth defeat was the last traw, me thinks. Before that I was very hopeful and excited about automatic promotion, like.
But that is past. I hope a 5-2 win on Saturday will improve the mood in here. A Strelec hat-trick and a Fry header. Then Conway and Whittaker a piece ...
Anyway, I am looking forward to the end of the season ping-pong in the Championship. Up the Boro!
Up the Boro!
I’ll definitely settle for a Boro “Lost Count” - “Whatever” Watford scoreline.
@Pedro - I'm glad you completed the Match Preview as I have been rushing around a lot recently and wouldn't have had the time. In fact, at 9pm on Friday, this is the first opportunity I have had to open this thread. Grateful thanks to you for your piece and the time you must have spent in writing it.
I think we should all go along tomorrow with hope in our hearts but with realism so that, if results elsewhere go the way they could, it will not be too disappointing. Boro can only do ITS job tomorrow as the rest is beyond our control. It should NOT have been like this because Boro's position was very strong so very recently. But we are where we are. It would be nice if there was some good news on the player availability front.
Let's hope Boro gives it a real go! Then we can stress about the Wrexham game at the end of the league season. I am sure I said some time ago that I would not want everything to depend on Boro getting a win at Wrexham...
Leicester a goal up against Millwall with 12 minutes of normal time. The latter equalises in "sucker punch time" (bang on normal time). 🙁 Five minutes of injury time being played.
Make that eight!
Meanwhile, the Deckchairs beaten by the Tricky Trees by 0-5 at the Stadium of Sh!te. Tehe!
What odds West Brom beating Ipswich? It would certainly add a bit of interest, particularly if Charlton were to lose and Oxford win. That would spice up Millwall v Oxford on the final day. It’s always fun to dream about the permutations even if they very rarely work out as one would wish.
UTB