Millwall vs Watford Championship prediction: Lions host Hornets in 2024/25 season opener
Millwall and Watford get their 2024/25 Championship campaigns underway when they face off on Saturday.
Millwall vs Watford prediction: Lions host Hornets in 2024/25 Championship opener
Millwall vs Watford latest prediction
Betting tips
Millwall 1-0 Watford (11/2 with Betfred)
Despite Watford being the recent Premier League side, Millwall have had a good run of results against the Hornets. Since Watford’s relegation, Millwall have won three of the four Championship meetings.
Zian Flemming to score anytime (17/5 with BetMGM)
Millwall struggled for goals last season, but Zian Flemming was directly involved in 12, scoring seven and providing five assists.
Millwall to win to nil (11/4 with BoyleSports)
On top of the three wins out of four against Wolves, Millwall kept a clean sheet in each of those victories. In fact, Millwall haven’t conceded a goal against Watford at the Den in their past four games.
For Millwall, 2024/25 brings another attempt to reach the Premier League. The Lions haven’t played Premier League football yet and have been out of the top flight of English football since 1989/90 when they finished bottom of the table. Since returning to the Championship in 2017/18, Millwall have generally found themselves in the top half of the table. However, that play-off spot remains elusive. Last season they finished 13th, some 14 points outside the play-off places. In fact, they were closer to the relegation zone, just nine points above.
The Lions have had a quiet transfer window so far, with four players coming in and two going out. The big change is the departure of goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski, but he had fallen down the pecking order. Japhet Tanganga has made his loan move permanent, in a big boost for Neil Harris.
Watford are in their third season in the Championship after relegation, but they have struggled in the second tier. The Hornets finished 11th in their first campaign back, not looking close to an immediate return to the Premier League. And things got worse last season, as Watford dropped to 15th in the Championship.
Since their relegation from the Premier League, Watford have had five different managers, with former midfielder Tom Cleverley now the man in charge. This summer has seen the return of Moussa Sissoko to the club, with the Frenchman joining on a free transfer from Nantes as one of seven new arrivals. At the same time, four players have left including Ismael Kone, who has joined Marseille.
Millwall host Watford on Saturday 10th August at 12:30pm at the Den.
How to watch Millwall vs Watford live
Millwall vs Watford takes place at 12:30pm on Saturday 10th August, with the game broadcast live on Sky Sports+.
Millwall team news
Neil Harris played a 4-2-3-1 against Southampton in Millwall’s final pre-season friendly, a switch up from the 4-4-2 he had been utilising. Macaulay Langstaff dropped to the bench with Tom Bradshaw leading the line, supported by Romain Esse, Duncan Watmore and George Honeyman. Lukas Jensen also got the nod in goal ahead of Liam Roberts. So there are some decisions to be made.
Watford team news
Watford got through pre-season well, at least with regards to fitness and injuries, if not results. The Hornets took their time in reintroducing Moussa Sissoko into the lineup, and he’s expected to start at the Den on Saturday. Cleverley has stuck with the back three he ended the season with, and that will likely continue.
Millwall vs Watford head-to-head
Since Watford were relegated back to the Championship in the 2022/23 season, Millwall have enjoyed facing the Hornets. The south London club are unbeaten in their past four games against Watford, winning three.
| Team vs Team H2H | |||||||
| Date | Score | Ground | |||||
| 02/03/24 | Millwall 1-0 Watford | The Den, London | |||||
| 28/10/23 | Watford 2-2 Millwall | Vicarage Road, Watford | |||||
| 26/12/22 | Watford 0-2 Millwall | Vicarage Road, Watford | |||||
| 19/10/22 | Millwall 3-0 Watford | The Den, London | |||||
| 24/04/21 | Watford 1-0 Millwall | Vicarage Road, Watford | |||||
| 26/01/21 | Millwall 0-0 Watford | The Den, London | |||||
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