Watford

This is just Oxford's second league trip to Watford in the past 26 years.

The Hornets took the honours last season with a Vakoun Bayo goal sealing a 1-0 victory.

• Watford have won four out of the past five home league meetings against Oxford United (L1) , conceding just two goals during this run.

• Oxford United have won just three of their previous 25 league meetings with Watford (D11 L11), their last victory however being a 1-0 win in the pair's most recent meeting in March 2025. Prior to last season's meetings, the pair last played each other in the league in March 1999.

• After losing five consecutive league home matches between December 2024 and February 2025, Watford have lost just three of their past 11 home games (W5 D3).

• Since the start of last season, only Derby and Blackburn (15 each) have lost more Championship games on a Saturday than Oxford (14), with the U's still winless on Saturdays this season (D2 L3).

• Oxford boss Gary Rowett has won each of his past three league matches against Watford, keeping a clean sheet in all three victories.

Watford defender Mattie Pollock says the squad have a lot of trust in manager Paulo Pezzolano following the 2-2 draw against Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

New head coach Pezzolano has had a turbulent start to life in the Championship, winning two and drawing three of their opening eight games, but Pollock insists the Uruguayan has had a positive impact on the players.

"We've got a good dressing room. We've got a lot of trust for the manager. It obviously shows that the things he says at half-time is positive - it's working," Pollock told BBC Radio Three Counties.

"For myself, I think I can do a little bit more, especially in the first half, but it shows we have got a good group. We are all behind the gaffer, we're all enjoying it and we're just frustrated that we can't play as well for him in the first half as we did in the second, but I'm sure that'll turn around.

"There's a lot of games in the Championship but overall it feels good. The gaffer comes in very positive at half-time and gets us going again and I think that's showed now for a few games."

Listen to the full interview and more on BBC Sounds.

"I think Pezzolano knows what he wants, he knows the end goal, and he has been adding things slowly but surely. It's definitely looking better."

Former Watford midfielder Derek Payne joins BBC Radio Three Counties' Geoff Doyle to discuss the key points from the dramatic 2-2 draw at Portsmouth.

Listen to the full conversation and more on BBC Sounds

Watford will be looking for back-to-back wins when they travel to Portsmouth on Wednesday (19:45 BST).

Portsmouth are seeking their first win in three games following a draw against Southampton and two consecutive defeats against Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich Town on Saturday.

The Hornets will be looking to claim their first away win of the Championship season and make it two wins in a row, after Saturday's comeback victory against Hull City.

● After their 1-0 win in April, Portsmouth could win back-to-back league meetings with Watford for the first time since April 1996 (3 in a row).

● The side playing at home has won each of the last eight league matches between Portsmouth and Watford, with the Hornets losing each of their last five away to Pompey.

● Portsmouth have lost two of their three home league games this season (W1) and could lose back-to-back home league matches for the first time since September 2024.

● Watford have lost seven of their last eight away league games (D1), with each defeat coming by a one-goal margin.

● Watford are winless in their last nine midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) away league outings (D4 L5) since a 1-0 triumph at Swansea in October 2023.

Watford forward Vivaldo Semedo says the best is yet to come from him and the team after opening his goalscoring account for the club.

The 20-year-old Udinese loanee played just 18 minutes off the bench in the Hornets' opening five matches but was handed his first start in the defeat at Millwall.

In his second start on Saturday, he assisted Imran Louza's equaliser against Hull at Vicarage Road before scoring the winner himself 12 minutes from time to end a four-match winless run.

"I was dreaming of this," he told BBC 3CR. "I keep working hard and it feels great to help the team win. We're going to keep working hard to keep moving up (the table).

"We kept believing and kept together and did what we had to do and we got the three points."

The Portugal Under-21 international says he has his sights on the Premier League and hopes performing for Watford will help him get there.

"I'm still a young player and I'm still getting used to the team and especially to the Championship. It's a hard competition, very physical, but game by game I'm going to keep improving, keep doing my best, working hard and the results are going to come.

"I am young, I'm hungry, I want to achieve the Premier League, be in the best clubs so I am going to keep working on my weaknesses and hopefully one day I'll achieve that.

"I came here to add physicality to my game and add more games to my legs, it's why I am here and I am going to keep improving."

Click here for more from Semedo's interview with BBC3CR.

Paolo Pezzolano has urged his side to repeat the high energy levels produced by his side in their come-from-behind win against Hull more regularly.

The Watford boss told BBC Three Counties Radio: "The team showed great character, attitude, and consistency in so many moments of the game.

"We have been trying to work on getting the players moving up front more, and I was pleased with today because we showed that.

"I believe in making sure that we are physically able to keep repeating efforts and can overcome any mental tiredness we might feel in games.

"We want to keep the same energy we used to turn this result around in the following games.

"What is important for us is to continue working to keep the fans happy. In life it is about keeping going and overcoming the difficult moments."

Watford boss Paulo Pezzolano will be looking to ease some pressure as the side welcome Hull City on Saturday (15:00 BST).

The Hornets have lost their past two games to see them just hovering above the relegation zone and put Pezzolano under the microscope at a club known to have little patience when it comes to under-performing managers.

Perhaps it's a good time to face a side that hasn't been able to do much damage in recent years, but the Tigers are coming off a huge 3-1 win over Southampton and it could be just the confidence boost they need to break Watford's unbeaten run.

• Watford are unbeaten in their last four league games against Hull (W2 D2), winning this exact fixture 1-0 back in April last season.

• Hull have failed to either win (D2 L2) or score in any of their last four away league games against Watford since a 2-1 win in December 2012.

• Watford have won just one of their last 11 league games (D3 L7), beating QPR 2-1 in their first home game of the season.

• Having beaten Southampton 3-1 last time out, Hull are looking to secure consecutive league victories for the first time since a run of three ending in October 2024.

• No Championship player has been involved in more goals than Hull's Oliver McBurnie this season (6), with his three goals and three assists all coming in his last five appearances.

A potential move to take the Championship play-offs down to eighth place would damage the competition's credibility, according to former Huddersfield, Stoke and Middlesbrough defender Tommy Smith.

The EFL board is set to discuss proposals to increase the number of teams in the end-of-season play-offs from four to six but Smith, who was promoted to the Premier League with Huddersfield via the play-offs in 2017 is not a fan of the idea.

"It's not for me - I think it suits teams who don't really have a chance to get in the top six," he told the BBC's EFL podcast 72+.

"From a credibility point of view the top six is there to be aimed at and you have to earn your place in it."

The play-offs were first introduced for the 1986-87 season where sides finishing third down to fifth were involved along with the team third-from-bottom in the top flight.

After two seasons the format was changed to be played out between teams finishing third to sixth in the second tier.

"To finish eighth in the Championship and potentially get promoted to the Premier League it just doesn't sit right with me," added Smith.

"Notoriously over the past years getting into the top six is tough and when you get in there after a long hard season it feels brilliant, so to make it a top eight it dilutes it."

"He's spoken a lot about the early weeks, months, it may take a while for the players adjust but he will eventually get there. The problem with that one is this is Watford and they don't tend to be too forgiving."

Watford commentator Geoff Doyle considers if boss Paulo Pezzolano is already under pressure six games into the new Championship season and why he needs to find a quick resolution to the problems at Vicarage Road.

Listen to the full analysis and more Watford content on BBC Sounds.

Watford boss Paulo Pezzolano says he feels that his side "deserved something" from their Monday night match with Millwall after falling to a 1-0 defeat.

Forward Luca Kjerrumgaard did come close to rescuing a point for the Hornets but the strike was denied by Lions keeper Steven Benda to see Watford head home without a win for a fourth successive league match.

"I feel we deserve something from this game. The team made a great effort physically, they are growing, they are in the process," Pezzolano told BBC Radio London.

"That finishing will come. That's how the team is assembling, it's part of the process.

"Today, the team showed a different face than in the previous match. The team did well on a very difficult pitch against a difficult opponent and the game was defined by a very small margin and maybe we miss some luck."

Millwall will seek to pick up their first points of the season at The Den on Monday night when Watford visit (20:00 BST).

The Lions have picked up all seven of their points on the road so far and battled back to grab late levellers in their past two games, at Charlton last Saturday and at Crystal Palace in the EFL Cup on Tuesday, only to bow out on penalties.

The Hornets have taken one point from their two games on the road in the league, scoring only once, but could leapfrog their hosts if they can pick up their first win on their travels this season.

• Millwall have won four of their past six league matches against Watford (D1 L1), twice as many as they'd won in their previous 18 against the Hornets (W2 D4 L12).

• Watford won 3-2 away at Millwall last season and are looking for consecutive away league wins at the Lions for the first time since January 2012.

• All seven points Millwall have earned this season have been in away games (W2 D1), losing both at the Den so far. The Lions last lost their first three home games in a season back in 2015-16.

• Watford have won just two points in their last eight away league matches (D2 L6) since a 1-0 win at Middlesbrough in February.

• Since making his first Championship start for Millwall on 23 August, only Norwich's Mirko Topic (25) has won possession more often than Massimo Luongo (22), with the Australian also ranking first for possession won in middle third (15) and second for fouls (9) in this timeframe.

Watford will be donning a special edition one-off kit for their home game against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday (15:00 BST) - but can they find victory in it?

The Hornets have only managed one win out of their four opening league games (D2 L1) so far, but a busy end to their transfer window has seen the side bolster their defence and given fans room for optimism.

While key departures for Blackburn has drew criticism, with boss Valerien Ismael asking for "time" to settle and develop their new squad.

Time is something the Lancashire side have little of though if they are hoping to improve a lacklustre start to their Championship campaign (W1 L3) on the weekend.

• Watford have won five of their last eight home league games against Blackburn Rovers (D2 L1), including this exact fixture in October last season (1-0).

• Blackburn Rovers have won three of their last six league games against Watford (D1 L2) and could win successive league matches against the Hornets for the first time since October 2012.

• Watford have lost just two of their last nine league games at Vicarage Road (W4 D3), scoring in eight of those matches.

• Blackburn are looking to avoid losing four of their opening five league games of a campaign for the first time since 2016-17 in the Championship, a season that ended in them being relegated to League One.

• Teenager Nestory Irankunda has been involved in a goal in all three of his league starts for Watford this season (2 goals, 1 assist), with both goals coming from direct free kicks.

After an already busy summer transfer window, Watford closed it out on transfer deadline day by signing three more players.

Winger Nikoloz Chikovani and right-back Jeremy Petris arrived for undisclosed fees, while centre-back Formose Mendy signed on a season-long loan.

Lorient defender Mendy is someone BBC 3CR's Geoff Doyle believes will slot straight into the first-team picture with the club possessing depth in the position.

"[Mendy is] likely to be almost number one choice at centre-back. The way Kevin Keben's been playing, he's [now] almost second choice," Doyle said.

"[James] Abankwah hasn't done much wrong, [Mattie] Pollock's coming back from injury plus [Max] Alleyne, who is the back-up. That's five really quite useful ones so Watford at centre-back have plenty of choice."

Another defensive addition comes in the form of Petris who signed from Royal Charleroi in Belgium.

"[He has] plenty of pace, aggressive, pretty tall and [fits] this profile of a Watford side that is physically big and strong and tall," Doyle added.

On Chikovani, a Georgia Under-19 international who signed from Dinamo Tbilisi, Doyle added: "This is one for the future. [Watford] will loan him out at some point."

Doyle believes the final Watford squad for the 2025-26 season shows potential and is one that fans can be optimistic about.

"Watford have got plenty of depth now, plenty of talent. They've got the experienced ones in there so all pretty positive.

"It's a much much better squad so people can be optimistic. Just that number nine position is the worry, otherwise they can give it a right go this year."

Listen to the full analysis and more Watford on Sounds.

Watford forward Nestory Irankunda is clearly enjoying life in the Championship, having scored another jaw-dropping free-kick, external in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Southampton.

That effort followed a high-quality set-piece strike, external to open the scoring in the 1-1 draw at Swansea City the week before.

But for 19-year-old Irankunda, it was just another day in the office.

"I've done it before and I'm very happy to get the goal," he told BBC Radio 3CR., external

"It's about the confidence to be able to step up for the team and be able to do it in the moment.

"[It's] something I've worked on my whole career. I don't practise them as much as I used to but I've learned the technique."

Irankunda has been called up to the Australia squad ahead for September's internationals and is hoping to feature in the two upcoming friendlies against New Zealand.

"My main priority is to perform here and then build the confidence to hopefully go to the [2026] World Cup," he added.

Listen to the full interview with Nestory Irankunda here.