A 2-1 win for Watford on Friday night set up a fine weekend for Xisco Munoz’s side. Watford were the only side inside the top six apart from league-leaders Norwich to pick up a win at the weekend and as a result, are now third level on points with Brentford as they look to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking. Blackburn meanwhile, fell to Nottingham Forest for the fourth defeat in as many games leaving Tony Mowbray’s men 12th in the table and now 10 points off the play-off places.
A poor run of form has all but ruled Blackburn out of contention for the play-offs for another year. The former Premier League winners closed out January with back-to-back wins over Middlesbrough and Luton but a run of four straight defeats has seen them slide down the table. All four losses have come by just a one-goal margin with defeats at QPR, Barnsley and Nottingham Forest with a Lancashire derby defeat at home to rivals Preston all in the space of the last two weeks. At Ewood Park, Rovers have won six of their 14 games but only one have those have arrived since Christmas.
Xisco Munoz led Watford to a 1-0 win over Norwich in his first game in charge on Boxing Day and they haven’t looked back since his bow in English football. In 10 games since then only the table-toppers Norwich have accumulated more points than Watford who have taken 20 points from the last 30 available. The Hornets have the second-best defensive record in the league and have conceded just six goals across their last 10 games. Three wins in a row has catapulted them into third and they are currently unbeaten in four matches on the road winning two and drawing two.