Watford v Portsmouth: play-off push meets survival fight | OneFootball

Watford host Portsmouth in the Championship on Wednesday, 21 January 2026 at Vicarage Road, with the hosts chasing the play-off places and the visitors battling to climb out of the relegation zone.

Watford sit eighth on 41 points, while Portsmouth are 22nd in the drop zone. The reverse fixture in October finished 2-2.

The Hornets put together three straight league wins against Leicester, Norwich and Birmingham before defeats to Bristol City and Millwall. Portsmouth rebounded from a 5-0 loss at Bristol City with a 1-0 victory at Sheffield Wednesday.

Injuries shape selection. Watford are without Rocco Vata until 1 March. Portsmouth have a lengthy list, including Marlon Pack (until 22 January), Joshua Murphy and Harvey Blair (both until 8 February), Callum Lang (15 February) and Josh Knight and Hayden Matthews (8 March), with others also sidelined.

The Hornets average 1.4 goals per game with 51% possession and 81.30% passing accuracy this season, and could look to wide service and a headed threat. Luca Kjerrumgaard leads their league scoring with seven, while Imran Louzan has six assists. Portsmouth average 0.9 goals per game and have kept six clean sheets. They may lean on organisation and crossing, having delivered open-play balls at 20.61% accuracy.

A win would take the Hornets to 44 points and could nudge them into the play-off places. Portsmouth would move to 31 points with victory and could climb out of the relegation places.