Championship · 2026

Watford vs Middlesbrough · Championship

Watford

LLWLL
vsPre-match analysis

Season

Season averages, with the sample size beside each metric.

Goals scored
0.882
Expected goals
0.861.93
Shots
11.517.4
Possession
46%60.3%

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: middlesbrough'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.

Middlesbrough show a distinct attacking-volume record

moderate

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

11.5 shots/match ▲ShotsWatford · Middlesbrough17.4 shots/match
Evidence and caveat

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

Window: season

MetricWatfordMiddlesbroughBaseline
Shots11.5 shots/match17.4 shots/match13.2 shots/match
Shots against15.3 shots/match11.8 shots/match12.7 shots/match

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

The teams have contrasting possession records

moderate

Middlesbrough have recorded the higher season possession share.

46%PossessionWatford · Middlesbrough● 60.3%
Evidence and caveat

Comparison: The recorded possession gap is 14.2 percentage points.

Window: season

MetricWatfordMiddlesbroughBaseline
Possession46%60.3%50.2%

Caveat: Possession share does not show where possession occurred or how chances were created.

Metric comparison

Team comparison

Season averages, with the sample size beside each metric.

Where the edge is

Season: Watford favored in 1 of 13 directional metrics · Middlesbrough in 12

recorded edge higher value (descriptive) too close

Window

Season

Watford8 matchesMiddlesbrough8 matches
0.88 goals/matchGoals scored8/8▲ 2 goals/match
1.25 goals/match ▲Goals allowed8/81.5 goals/match
0.86 xG/matchExpected goals8/8▲ 1.93 xG/match
11.5 shots/matchShots8/8▲ 17.4 shots/match
3.5 shots/matchShots on target8/8▲ 5.13 shots/match
46%Possession8/8● 60.3%
3.63 corners/matchCorners8/8● 5.75 corners/match
11.6 fouls/matchFouls8/810 fouls/match

History

Head-to-head

Recent meetings between these teams.

Last 5 meetings

3Watford
0Draws
2Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough — Watford · Championship5–1
Watford — Middlesbrough · Championship3–0
Middlesbrough — Watford · Championship0–1
Watford — Middlesbrough · Championship2–1
Middlesbrough — Watford · Championship3–1

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
Freshness50 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: Sat, 7 Nov 2026, 15:00 UTC · analysis-v4

Team rankings in Championship

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