Championship · 2026

Cardiff City vs Watford · Championship

vsPre-match analysis

Watford

LLWLL

Season

Season averages, with the sample size beside each metric.

Goals scored
1.250.88
Expected goals
1.620.86
Shots
17.611.5
Possession
65%46%

30-second read

What the record shows

The story here is recent context rather than season averages: watford's last-five goals scored average is below their season average. Alongside it: cardiff City's shot volume and the opposing shot-allowance context sit above their competition baselines. Limitation: At least one team lacks a recent completed match near this fixture cutoff.

Watford's recent record differs from the season

moderate

Watford's last-five goals scored average is below their season average.

0.6 goals/match ▲Goals forLast 5 · Season0.88 goals/match
Evidence and caveat

Comparison: An unweighted last-five average is compared with the unweighted season average.

Window: last_5 versus season

MetricLast 5SeasonBaseline
Goals for0.6 goals/match0.88 goals/match1.33 goals/match

Caveat: Five matches are sensitive to opponent mix and isolated match states.

Cardiff City show a distinct attacking-volume record

moderate

Cardiff City's shot volume and the opposing shot-allowance context sit above their competition baselines.

17.6 shots/match ▲ShotsCardiff City · Watford11.5 shots/match
Evidence and caveat

Comparison: Team shot volume is paired with the opponent's recorded shot allowance.

Window: season

MetricCardiff CityWatfordBaseline
Shots17.6 shots/match11.5 shots/match13 shots/match
Shots against13.3 shots/match15.3 shots/match13 shots/match

Caveat: Shot volume describes activity; it does not establish finishing quality or a match outcome.

Cardiff City have a visible home split

weak

Cardiff City's home-only shot average is above their full-season average.

21.7 shots/match ▲ShotsHome only · Season17.6 shots/match
Evidence and caveat

Comparison: Venue-only shot volume is compared with the same team's season record.

Window: home

MetricHome onlySeasonBaseline
Shots21.7 shots/match17.6 shots/match13 shots/match

Caveat: Venue splits can reflect opponent mix and should be read with the listed sample.

Metric comparison

Team comparison

Season averages, with the sample size beside each metric.

Where the edge is

Season: Cardiff City favored in 10 of 13 directional metrics · Watford in 2 · 1 too close

recorded edge higher value (descriptive) too close

Window

Season

Cardiff City8 matchesWatford8 matches
1.25 goals/match ▲Goals scored8/80.88 goals/match
1.5 goals/matchGoals allowed8/8▲ 1.25 goals/match
1.62 xG/match ▲Expected goals7/80.86 xG/match
17.6 shots/match ▲Shots7/811.5 shots/match
6.29 shots/match ▲Shots on target7/83.5 shots/match
65% ●Possession7/846%
8 corners/match ●Corners7/83.63 corners/match
10.4 fouls/matchFouls7/811.6 fouls/match

History

Head-to-head

Recent meetings between these teams.

Last 5 meetings

3Cardiff City
2Draws
0Watford
Cardiff City — Watford · Championship1–1
Watford — Cardiff City · Championship1–2
Watford — Cardiff City · Championship0–1
Cardiff City — Watford · Championship1–1
Watford — Cardiff City · Championship1–3

Head-to-Head & Recent Meetings

Evidence quality

How much supports this analysis

Grade B · Useful evidenceUseful evidence — limited
Season samples8 / 8home / away teams
Recent samples5 / 5last-five windows
Freshness25 daysstale at cutoff
  • At least one team lacks a recent completed match near this fixture cutoff.

Known unknowns

  • Lineups, injuries, suspensions and tactical changes are not available in the retained dataset.
  • Some metrics are unavailable or below their observation minimum: cards.
  • The nearest completed-match evidence is stale relative to this fixture cutoff.
Analysis cutoff: Tue, 13 Oct 2026, 18:45 UTC · analysis-v4

Team rankings in Championship

Make a graphic from this match

Creator Studio builds a branded post from this match's recorded data, with its evidence grade and source cutoff carried into the export.

Turn this match into a graphicReady-made from PitchMath data · No sign-up required