Form and context

Watford sit 20th in the Championship after 14 fixtures, four points above the bottom three, and they beat Lincoln City 1-0 at home last time out. Middlesbrough are top of the table, one point above Wolves and two ahead of Birmingham City, Swansea City and Stoke City, despite losing 2-0 at Wrexham on Wednesday.

Team news

• Watford: No confirmed team news yet.
• Middlesbrough: Will Lankshear is a doubt after picking up an injury against Charlton Athletic and missing the Wrexham defeat. The Northern Echo report suggests it is unlikely he will be risked before the international break and that he has not been in full training this week, while Kim Hellberg said he still hopes the striker might play on Saturday. Kyle Joseph started against Wrexham and has not scored in the league this season in 12 outings.

What the numbers say

• Watford have won their last two home games.
• Middlesbrough's loss at Wrexham was their first league defeat since August, ending an 11-game run.
• Lankshear has scored 15 goals in 16 games in all competitions this season, 13 of them in the Championship.
• In all competitions, Watford average 0.9 goals for and 1.8 against across their last 10 matches, while Middlesbrough average 2.2 for and 1.7 against.

Our view

Watford have found some grit at Vicarage Road, but Middlesbrough have been the stronger side over the season and will want a response after their first league defeat in months. Much depends on Lankshear, who remains a doubt and may not be risked.

Most likely outcome: away win - Boro's league-leading form and attacking output outweigh Watford's recent home wins.