Two of last season's mid-table rivals in the Championship go head-to-head for their opening game of the new season this weekend as Millwall play host to Watford.
The Lions finished two places and three points above Saturday's guests, picking up four points from the pair's two league meetings, so you can see why Millwall are the bookmaker's pick to win.
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Millwall vs Watford prediction: Will the Lions make light work of Watford?
Key Stats
- Millwall have won three of their last four games against Watford.
- The Lions have won three of their last four home games against the Hornets.
- Macaulay Langstaff scored 28 goals in League Two for Notts County last season.
Correct score prediction: Millwall 2-1 Watford
Millwall haven't scored more than two goals in any of their last six matches and Watford have only failed to score in one of their last six outings, so we're going with a scoreline of 2-1 in favour of Saturday's hosts.
Pre-game odds and win probability: The odds favour the Lions
- HOME: 11/8 (2.38) – 42.1%
- DRAW: 12/5 (3.40) – 29.4%
- AWAY: 23/10 (3.30) – 30.3%
*odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
Millwall are the expected winner of this game with a probability of 42.1%, and we can see why the bookmakers have made this prediction.
You can find all our predictions for today's games on our football betting tips page.
Most recent H2Hs: Millwall in front
Saturday's hosts have won three, drawn one and lost one of their last five encounters with Watford in the Championship, securing a 1-0 victory in this fixture last season.
England Championship 02/03/24
Millwall
Watford
England Championship 28/10/23
Watford
Millwall
England Championship 26/12/22
Watford
Millwall
England Championship 19/10/22
Millwall
Watford
England Championship 24/04/21
Watford
Millwall
Millwall preview: Have made some smart signings
The Lions made it to 13th place in the Championship table last season and will be hoping to finish in the top half in 2025.
Someone has finally taken a gamble on Macauley Langstaff and that someone is Millwall who signed the 27-year-old striker from Notts County this summer for £830k.
Japhet Tanganga and Liam Roberts have also joined the club on free transfers, while Lukas Jensen arrives from Lincoln City for an undisclosed fee.
Alex Mitchell and Bartosz Bialkowski are the only two players that have left the club and have already been replaced.
Predicted lineup: Jensen (GK), Leonard, Hutchinson, Cooper, Bryan, Esse, Saville, De Norre, Watmore, Honeyman & Bradshaw
England Championship 31/08/24
W
Sheff Wed
0
Millwall
3
England EFL Cup 27/08/24
L
Leyton Orient
1
Millwall
0
England Championship 24/08/24
D
Hull
0
Millwall
0
England Championship 17/08/24
L
Bristol City
4
Millwall
3
England EFL Cup 13/08/24
W
Portsmouth
0
Millwall
1
Watford preview: Losing Ismael Kone will hurt
Watford will have been disappointed to only finish 15th last season and with star player Ismael Kone leaving the club for Marseille in a deal thought to be worth around €12m, their chances of being involved in the play-offs this time around look slim to none.
Ashley Fletcher, Ben Hamer and Jake Livermore have all left the club following the end of their contracts which freed up a lot of the wage bill for new signings.
Despite selling Kone for a large sum, Watford have only spent a small amount of money this summer with €281k going on Celtic youngster Rocco Vata and 18-year-old Mamadou Doumbia joining from Black Stars in Mali for an undisclosed fee.
Former Tottenham and Newcastle midfielder Moussa Sissoko arrives on a free transfer along with Jonathan Bond, while Yasser Larouci and Antonio Tikvic have arrived on loan.
Predicted lineup: Bachmann (GK), Porteous, Ngakia, Andrews, Sissoko, Pollock, Kayembe, Dele-Bashiru, Chakvetadze, Sierralta & Bayo
England Championship 01/09/24
L
Sheff Utd
1
Watford
0
England EFL Cup 27/08/24
W
Plymouth
0
Watford
2
England Championship 24/08/24
W
Derby
1
Watford
2
England Championship 17/08/24
W
Stoke
0
Watford
3
England EFL Cup 13/08/24
W
Milton Keynes Dons
0
Watford
5
Player to watch – Macaulay Langstaff
People were talking about Macaulay Longstaff when he was scoring goals in non-league for Gateshead, something he continued to do when he made the next step up at Notts County.
After firing County back into the football league, Langstaff netted 29 goals in 49 games across all competitions last season, including 28 goals in League Two.
Will Langstaff continue to score goals at a higher level?
Millwall have taken a punt on the 27-year-old this summer and it will be very interesting to see if the natural goalscorer can continue to find the back of the net against Championship quality defences.
