Watford

Oxford United will seek an exit from the bottom three as they welcome Watford on Saturday (15:00 BST).

The U's are on a four-match winless streak but are only one point below 21st-placed Portsmouth and could leapfrog both Leicester City and Pompey to reach safety should they pick up a better result.

They face a Hornets side on a three-match winless run of their own, with a nine point-gap to the play-offs.

• Oxford have won just three of their last 26 league games against Watford (D11 L12), though one of those was in this exact fixture last season (1-0).

• Watford lost this exact fixture 1-0 last season, having been unbeaten in their previous 12 league visits to Oxford between 1972 and 1999 (W4 D8).

• Oxford have the lowest average possession (39.7%), have completed the fewest passes (8,870), had the fewest sequences of 10 or more passes in open play (128), average the fewest passes per sequence (2.3) and have the shortest sequence time (5.6 seconds) in the Championship this season.

• Since Ed Still's first game in charge of Watford on Valentine's Day, only Middlesbrough (211) and Portsmouth (165) have had more shots in the Championship than the Hornets (151), though 44% of them have come from outside the box (67), the third-highest ratio of any side in that time.

• Since the start of February, only Hayden Hackney (28) has created more chances in the Championship than Watford's Giorgi Chakvetadze (25). He created nine open play chances last time out against Charlton, only the third player on record (2013-14 onwards) to do so in a Championship game: the others are Pablo Hernández for Leeds vs Bolton in February 2019 (10) and Finn Azaz for Plymouth vs Watford in January 2024 (9).

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Watford are mourning the death of promotion-winning defender Brian Garvey who has passed away at the age of 88.

He was part of the Hornets side which won the Third Division title in the 1968-69 season and made 201 appearances, scoring two goals, in a five-year stay at Vicarage Road between 1965 and 1970.

Garvey started out at Hull City before joining Watford and finished his professional career at Colchester United where he helped the Essex club win the Watney Cup and famously beat Leeds United in the FA Cup in 1971.

"We were saddened to learn of the passing of our former defender Brian Garvey," Watford said in a post on X., external

"Our thoughts are with his family and friends."

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Watford boss Ed Still said poor defending by his injury-hit side was the reason for the 2-1 defeat against QPR at Loftus Road.

The Hornets were outplayed for large spells and only a late strike by Imran Louza brought any hope of salvaging a point.

"We've given ourselves too much to do in the last part of the game," Still told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"We've not defended the box well enough and that's one of the things we have done really well and been consistent with.

"But we've not done it today for both goals - and another chance they had. We showed a lack of quality.

"Clearly when you have to shuffle your back four game-to-game it weakens your team. That is one of the big explaining factors as to why we have struggled to defend the box."

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Championship clubs spent just over £69.5m on agents fees over the past 12 months according to figures released by the Football Association,, external an increase of £6m on the previous year.

The figures cover the period from February 2025 with Ipswich Town the top spenders, paying £11.7m having spent the first three months of the accounting period in the Premier League.

Southampton (£8.3m) and Leicester (£5.8m), who were relegated alongside Ipswich are the second and third-highest payers on the list.

Troubled Sheffield Wednesday were the most frugal when dealing with agents, spending £534,559.

Wrexham come in sixth on the list with an outlay of £3.6m while current Championship leaders Coventry spent just short of £1.5m.

Championship agents' fee spending, external

• Ipswich - £11,738,920

• Southampton - £8,381,358

• Leicester City - £5,866,587

• Sheffield United - £5,005,498

• Norwich - £4,020,206

• Wrexham - £3,660,584

• Swansea - £3,088,645

• Middlesbrough - £2,900,314

• Bristol City - £2,774,990

• Hull City - £2,450,431

• Stoke City - £2,088,886

• Birmingham City - £1,996,502

• Millwall - £1,982,348

• Preston North End - £1,831,233

• QPR - £1,829,036

• Watford - £1,612,833

• Coventry - £1,497,990

• Derby - £1,409,507

• West Brom - £1,346,030

• Oxford - £1,235,536

• Charlton - £904,698

• Portsmouth - £831,818

• Blackburn - £676,980

• Sheffield Wednesday - £534,559

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Watford expect to have full-back Jeremy Petris back for Friday's trip to Queens Park Rangers after missing three games with a dislocated shoulder.

Petris is still experiencing discomfort following the injury but head coach Ed Still believes that will not stop him being available at Loftus Road.

"He's back early," Still told the club website., external

"He should have been back at the end of next week but he has realised how many injured players there are and has said that he can play through the pain and manage it, as it's only a dislocated shoulder – so it's just for him to manage the pain."

Petris' likely return is good news for the Hornets with left-back Marc Bola rated a "big doubt" by Still.

"During last week's training he started to feel fatigue in the hip area, so there's a big question mark about him which puts a little bit of extra pressure on the full-back positions," he added.

Watford will assess James Abankwah, who suffered a dead leg while on duty with the Republic of Ireland, but Saba Goglichidze should also return after missing the last game against Leicester City.

Still's side are ninth on the Championship, seven points outside the top six with seven games remaining.

Image source, PA Media

Watford forward Nestory Irankunda scored twice as Australia beat Curacao 5-1 in their friendly in Melbourne on Tuesday.

The 20-year-old was introduced as a 67th-minute substitute by Socceroos boss Tony Popovic as the home side recovered from conceding an equaliser early in the second-half to run out comfortable winners.

Irankunda scored his double in the space of four minutes having also featured as a substitute in Australia's 1-0 win over Cameroon in Sydney last Friday.

He is set to be part of the Australia World Cup squad for this summer's tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico and will now return to England for Watford's trip to QPR in the Championship on Friday (15:00 BST).

Watford boss Ed Still spoke to BBC Three Counties Radio after Saturday's goalless draw with Leicester City.

"I was trying to put my finger on it, what the emotions are, and frustrating is probably the word," he said.

"It's a funny feeling, because on one hand to have seen how the players got out there on the pitch, credit to them. The commitment and mental strength to get over the pain for a lot of them, credit to them.

"We will take the point, because on another day you could lose that game.

"I was convinced we could have that moment in the second half where we could force a winner, and then you see that it didn't quite fall for us.

"It was frustrating because you feel a little bit powerless in moments where you know the squad is what it is and the boys are pushing through pain."

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Watford manager Ed Still wants his team's counter attacks to strike fear into opponents as they continue to push for a Championship play-off spot.

The former Anderlecht coach, who took over the Hornets on 9 February, believes his squad have the tools to do damage to opponents with fast transitions.

Still called on his players to show it with the first back-to-back wins of his tenure when they host relegation-threatened Leicester City on Saturday.

"We want it that teams fear our counter attacks and transitions," Still told BBC Three Counties Radio. "We were excellent on Tuesday [against Wrexham].

"I had seen prior to coming in. The analysis I had made clear the counter-attacking qualities of the squad [but] I had got the feeling that they weren't quite lethal enough.

"We have put a big emphasis on converting those chances since and we're improving on it.

"We want to be a threat on the ball if teams do sit off us a little bit, that we have that threat dominating possession as well."

Watford beat Wrexham 3-1 on Tuesday and they go into Saturday's match in ninth spot, five points off sixth place with eight games to go.

"We want a repeat of that performance," said Still. "We are going to go full on and all in to try to do a repeat of the Wrexham game.

"The whole squad and the staff realise what stage of the season we are at but also that we haven't yet managed to put together a couple of wins on the bounce.

"We are very much intent on doing so [against Leicester]."

Jobi McAnuff believes just five teams are fighting it out for two Championship play-off spots.

In the latest edition of the BBC's 72+ EFL podcast, Aaron Paul and McAnuff were joined by AFC Wimbledon boss Johnnie Jackson discuss the top stories from the EFL.

Watford's 3-1 win over Wrexham on Tuesday opened the door for Southampton to take over the Welsh side's top-six spot - and they did so, winning 1-0 against Norwich on Wednesday.

Watford are ninth, five points behind the Saints with eight games to go, while Birmingham are a further two points behind in 10th.

McAnuff said: "Watford are still in the mix. I feel like seven points feels a bit too big at this stage of the season. Birmingham feels a little far away.

"Southampton are the ones I believed would come through and get a play-off place.

"A couple of weeks ago I'd have said there's only one place up for grabs (sixth). That's changed now, (fifth-placed) Hull have been really inconsistent so they have been brought into it a lot more.

"You've got Easter coming up, six points can go in a week. You have a quick turnaround. If you can put a run of games together you can really jump up four or five places in the space of a few days. Anyone down to Watford (can make it), Birmingham feels a little too far away at this stage."

Leicester City will seek an escape from the bottom three when they visit promotion-chasing Watford on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The Foxes took the lead against Queens Park Rangers on the weekend but ultimately suffered a 3-1 defeat to leave them two points adrift of safety.

But the Hornets will be a tough customer, hunting down a place in the play-offs against stiff competition and hot off a big win against fellow promotion-hopefuls Wrexham.

• Watford will be looking to do the league double over Leicester for the first time since 2012-13, after winning 2-1 in this season's reverse fixture on Boxing Day.

• Leicester have won their last two away league games against Watford (5-1 in 2022 and 2-1 in 2024), and have never previously won three in succession away to the Hornets.

• Watford have only won one of their last seven Saturday matches in the Championship (D2 L4), although that was in their most recent one at Vicarage Road (2-0 v Derby last month).

• Leicester are winless in their last nine away league games (D5 L4); they last went 10 in a row without a win in the Championship between December 2004 and October 2005 (18).

• Midfielder Jordan James is now Leicester's top scorer in the Championship this season (10), while only Abdul Fatawu (16) has more goal involvements for the Foxes than the Welshman (14).

Watford midfielder Edoardo Bove has dedicated his first goal since suffering a cardiac arrest to his girlfriend, after scoring in stoppage time to seal a 3-1 win against Wrexham on Tuesday.

"This goal was for [my girlfriend] because only we know what we have been through and without her I couldn't do anything and I have to thank her for being by my side each day of my rehab," Bove told BBC 3CR.

"It was an easy one - open goal - but the celebration was unbelievable. I went directly to the fans. I'm so so happy for me and for the team who supported me the past two months."

The 23-year-old collapsed playing for Fiorentina in Serie A in December 2024 but has been fit to play after having a defibrillator installed following a cardiac arrest.

He joined Watford in January and has now made six appearances for the Hornets.

"My feeling is very good - I think I'm improving and everyone knows in the club what I can do and how much I can play," Bove said.

"I can play a full match but it's all about what the coach decides and the team is doing well and I want to help. Let's see how I can help the team in the future."

The win over fellow promotion hopefuls Wrexham has renewed Watford's hopes of securing a Championship play-off place.

"It's what we are looking for," added Bove. "We know it's difficult but we watch ourselves only, we try to win every game - it's eight games left so we still have time."

Watford are ninth in the league and five points from the play-off spots. They will host struggling Leicester City on Saturday (15:00 GMT) aiming to build a winning run.

"We have the possibility to recover a lot of points. With the support of the fans it gives us more power and energy and we control the games better at home," said Bove.

Listen to the full interview with Edoardo Bove and more Watford on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Getty Images

There have been plenty of contentious decisions in the 2025-26 Championship season so far.

Offside goals given, perfectly good goals ruled out, red card offences missed, penalties not given, dubious spot-kicks awarded. You name it.

With the video assistant referee (VAR) only used for the play-off final, the outcome of every second-tier game in the regular season can hinge on how on-field officials see incidents in real time.

• Would you want VAR introduced for every league game in the Championship?

• If so, why?

• And if not, let us know your reasons.

You can share your thoughts on VAR here or comment below, and we will publish a follow-up article soon with a selection of your responses.

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Watford will have striker Mamadou Doumbia back for Tuesday's vital game against play-off hopefuls Wrexham at Vicarage Road.

Doumbia has completed a three-match ban imposed after a clash with Ipswich's Dara O'Shea was caught on video, although it was not seen on the night by officials.

The Hornets are in 10th place, four places and eight points adrift of their Welsh opponents, and are in urgent need of victory to close that gap.

Doumbia says he found having to watch from the sidelines hard.

"I am young, and sometimes you make a mistake. But, if you make a mistake, you have to put your head up and try to look forward," he told the club's website.

The 20-year-old scored against Wrexham in a 2-2 draw in December but added: "That's the past – now this game is the most important. We have to play with confidence and show character. We have just nine more games, and we have to try to win as many as we can."

Watford boss Ed Still has called on his team to "push harder" following Saturday's 3-1 loss at Stoke City.

He told BBC Three Counties Radio: "I'm fairly stable. Things are never as good as they seem when you're winning and on a good run, and things are never as bad as they seem on the back of a defeat, only the second defeat in six games.

"We're going to turn up at The Vic on Tuesday and just go for it."