Match centre · H2H Stats & Game Preview
Watford vs Preston North End
8 Sept 2026, 19:45 · Championship · 2026/2027
Referee
Farai HallamChampionship 2026/2027 · 3 matches
As it happened
Match timeline
WatfordMin
Preston North End- 5′⚽
Callum Lang 0-1
Goal · Right foot shot
Right foot shot
- ⇄
Iker Bravo
Substitution
Off: Martín Payero
46′ - ⇄
Othmane Maamma
Substitution
Off: Rocco Vata
46′ - ⇄
Stephy Alvaro Mavididi
Substitution
Off: Amin Nabizada
46′ - ⇄
Jordan Zemura
Substitution
Off: Omar Traoré
61′ - 62′
Andrija Vukcevic
Yellowcard · Foul
Foul
- 66′⇄
Delano Burgzorg
Substitution
Off: Johnny Kenny
- 66′⇄
Stanley Mills
Substitution
Off: Andrija Vukcevic
- 67′
Lewis Gibson
Yellowcard · Foul
Foul
- ⚽
Edo Kayembe 1-1
Goal · Left foot shot
Left foot shot
69′ - 75′⇄
Jusef Erabi
Substitution
Off: Callum Lang
- 75′⇄
Liam Gibbs
Substitution
Off: Léo Leroy
- ⚽
Mamadou Doumbia 2-1
Goal · Header
With: Iker Bravo
Header
76′ - 82′⇄
Thierry Small
Substitution
Off: Alfie Devine
- ⇄
Luca Kjerrumgaard
Substitution
Off: Mamadou Doumbia
88′
The numbers
Fixture statistics
Green marks the higher recorded number; grey means level. This does not always mean a better performance. A dash means no reported value, not zero.
Individual contributions
Player ratings & full match stats
| Player | Min | G | A | Shots | Key | Tackles | Saves | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90 | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 7.14 | |
| 90 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 6.28 | |
| 90 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 7.18 | |
| 90 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7.02 | |
| 61 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 6.73 | |
| 90 | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | 6.63 | |
| 46 | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | — | 6.44 | |
| 90 | 1 | — | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | 7.88 | |
| 46 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 6.52 | |
| 46 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | 6.65 | |
| 88 | 1 | — | 3 | 3 | — | — | 7.31 | |
| 44 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 7.05 | |
| 2 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 6.68 | |
| 44 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 7.26 | |
| 29 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 6.67 | |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 44 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6.65 |
Select a player to inspect every available typed match statistic. Ratings are provider match ratings; an unreported rating stays unavailable.
Before this match
Recent form
Select W, D or L to see that match’s stats. Pink outline = 2026/2027.
Watford
Latest: West Ham United · 1–1
Match stats
29 Aug 2026, 15:00 · Home vs West Ham United · 2026/2027
Preston North End
Latest: Charlton Athletic · 0–1
Match stats
29 Aug 2026, 15:00 · Away vs Charlton Athletic · 2026/2027
The rivalry
Head-to-head record
At Watford’s ground: 7 previous meetings, 2 home wins. Past results don’t predict the next match.
Matchup context
Home vs away this season
Compare Watford’s home games with Preston North End’s away games. For older matches, these season totals may include games played later.
Only stats recorded for both clubs are shown. In the key stats, green marks the more favourable figure, or the higher number where neither is better. Grey means the figures are level.
The number after / is how many matches had that stat.
More team stats
Results & goals
Goal frequencies
Corners
Cards
Shots & play
Chance quality
Season xG
Choose all, home or away games for each club. Green marks higher xG or lower xG against; grey means level.
These are past-match averages, not a prediction for this fixture.
Players
Top scorers and assist makers
Season totals for 2026/2027. These players are not a confirmed lineup.
Watford
Assists
Yellow cards
Tackles
Preston North End
Yellow cards
Tackles
Expected goals and shot quality
Match counts are shown beside each player.
Expected goals (xG)
Chance quality before the shot.
Watford
Preston North End
xG on target (xGoT)
Chance quality of shots that reached the target.
Watford
Preston North End
Shooting performance (xGoT - xG)
Shows whether a player made their chances better or worse with the quality of their shooting. Positive means they generally produced better-placed shots; negative means the shots were worse than the chances suggested.
Watford
Preston North End
Previous meetings
Select any result to see that fixture’s score, events and statistics.