Watford vs Bolton Wanderers Match Analysis and Prediction

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Watford, who were recently relegated, continue their preparations for their return to the Championship with a pre-season friendly against League One side Bolton Wanderers on Tuesday.

Roy Hodgson’s side return from their training camp in Austria looking for their first win of the summer, in their third warmup match ahead of the 2022-23 campaign, while Bolton Wanderers come into the contest off the back of a defeat to Wigan Athletic at the weekend.

New manager Rob Edwards, tasked with building a long-term project at the Hornets following his impressive work with Forest Green Rovers, will certainly need time to build his own squad and impelement another new playing tactic.

The changes have so far seen Watford lose to League One outfit Cambridge United in their summer opener on July 2, before they travelled to Austria for a training camp.

That workout, that lasted a week, concluded with a tough test against Greek outfit Panathinaikos on Sunday, which ended goalless despite a fairly lively encounter.

Meanwhile, preparations for the 2022-23 League One campaign for Bolton Wanderers began in June, which has seen the third-tier side complete four warmup matches prior to their trip to Watford on Tuesday.

A 9-0 triumph over amateur side Longridge Town got their summer up and running back on June 28, which was followed by a victory over non-league outfit Chorley.

A step up in opposition in their last two fixtures has seen Ian Evatt’s side draw with Stockport County before losing to rivals Wigan Athletic by a 1-0 scoreline on Saturday.

However, preparations have been positive on an overall level, with Evatt pleased with the manner of his side’s performance following their excellent finish to the 2021-22 campaign, in which the Trotters finished with four consecutive victories in an eight-game unbeaten streak to conclude the season.

Watford vs Bolton Wanderers head to head

The two teams have previously met on 18 occasions across all competitions, where Watford have claimed eight victories while Bolton have won nine, and they have drawn once. Watford have scored 23 goals and conceded 26. In their last five meetings, Watford have won three while Bolton have won two.

Watford 2-1 Bolton Wanderers 02/02/13

Watford 0-1 Bolton Wanderers 23/11/13

Bolton Wanderers 2-0 Watford 22/02/14

Watford 3-0 Bolton Wanderers 09/08/14

Bolton Wanderers 3-4 Watford 14/02/15

Watford latest home form

Watford have been on a poor run of form at home, and they have failed to win any of their five most recent matches. They lost 3-1 to Cambridge United in their last home game in a friendly. In their last five matches, they have scored four goals and conceded 12.

Watford 1-2 Brentford 16/04/22

Watford 1-2 Burnley 30/04/22

Watford 0-0 Everton 11/05/22

Watford 1-5 Leicester City 15/05/22

Watford 1-3 Cambridge United 02/07/22

Watford latest away form

Watford have recently been on a poor run of form on the road, having failed to win any of their five most recent matches. They draew 0-0 with Panathinaikos in their last away game in a friendly. In their last five matches, they have scored two goals and conceded 10.

Liverpool 2-0 Watford 02/04/22

Manchester City 5-1 Watford 23/04/22

Crystal Palace 1-0 Watford 07/05/22

Chelsea 2-1 Watford 22/05/22

Panathinaikos 0-0 Watford 10/07/22

Bolton Wanderers latest home form

Bolton Wanderers lost their last home game 1-0 to Wigan Athletic in a friendly. However, they have recently been on a good run of form at home, as they have been unbeaten in their previous four matches. In their last five matches, they have scored nine goals and conceded six.

Bolton Wanderers 1-1 Portsmouth 05/04/22

Bolton Wanderers 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday 09/04/22

Bolton Wanderers 3-1 Accrington Stanley 18/04/22

Bolton Wanderers 4-2 Fleetwood Town 30/04/22

Bolton Wanderers 0-1 Wigan Athletic 09/07/22

Bolton Wanderers latest away form

Bolton Wanderers have recently been on a good run of form on the road, having been unbeaten in their eight most recent matches. They drew 2-2 with Stockport County in their last away game in a friendly. In their last five matches, they have scored 18 goals and conceded five.

Doncaster Rovers 1-2 Bolton Wanderers 15/04/22

Cheltenham Town 1-2 Bolton Wanderers 23/04/22

Longridge Town 0-9 Bolton Wanderers 28/06/22

Chorley 1-3 Bolton Wanderers 02/07/22

Stockport County 2-2 Bolton Wanderers 05/07/22

Watford news

Watford could rotate their starting XI once again on Tuesday, which should see Maduka Okoye being handed a start ahead of Daniel Bachmann between the posts.

Emmanuel Dennis and Ismaila Sarr will continue to play no part in pre-season friendlies ahead ot expected move away from Vicarage Road this summer.

Bolton Wanderers news

Amadou Bakayoko sat out against Wigan, and the striker is unlikely to be risked here with Evatt keen to ensure no further damage is done ahead of the new campaign.

Jon Dadi Bodvarsson was also suffering from a minor knock, with Connor Stanley likely to play a part in the striker role once again.

Prediction and Odds

Bolton Wanderers are sure to provide a tough test for Watford after continuing their momentum from the end of last season.

However, with the quality on display in the Hornets ranks, they should be able to come out on top and pick up their first win of pre-season on Tuesday.

Odds: 1 1.90 X 2.00 2 2.26