• Watford v Blackburn Rovers
• Sky Bet Championship
• Vicarage Road
• Saturday February 11, 3pm KO

• Referee: Jeremy Simpson
• Assistant Referees: Andrew Dallison and Adrian Waters
• Fourth Official: Alan Young

After a decent start to the campaign, Rovers have only won three times in the league since November 1. With their last two Championship outings having produced draws with Bristol City and Wigan Athletic, Head Coach Jon Dahl Tomasson will be searching for victory when they arrive at Vicarage Road.

• Watford have won three of their last four league games against Blackburn Rovers, one more than in their previous eight such encounters.

• Blackburn are looking to secure a league double over Watford for the first time since 1969/70, in the first season the teams faced off.

• The Hornets have won four of their last five home league matches against Blackburn, since a 1-0 defeat in February 2001.

For a full statistical breakdown, check out Stats Buzz: Blackburn Rovers In Numbers.

Watford boss Slaven Bilić is looking forward to welcoming a handful of first-team players back to the fold, with captain Tom Cleverley, Ken Sema and Christian Kabasele all set to be involved.

The clash is likely to come too soon for Imrân Louza though, while Craig Cathcart is out with a groin problem picked up in training.

For full Watford team news, click HERE.

Goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski is unavailable for Blackburn with a knee problem, but defender Daniel Ayala could feature after an ankle injury.

Slaven Bilić, Watford Head Coach:

“It’s good to start having players back, and we’re going to need them. We have a run of tough games now - nothing will be decided after them, but we know if we do well out of them we will have a big boost.

“We are only concentrating on Blackburn for now, though. They’re a good team, with experienced players and energy in the ranks. They have had a season a bit like ours, with ups and downs, but we know they’re capable of beating the teams at the top and we need to be ready.”

Jon Dahl Tomasson, Blackburn Rovers Head Coach

“We already played one good game against Watford this season, and now we’re away to one of the favourites to go up. We are more or less at the same level in the table, so it is going to be an interesting game and a good challenge for us.

“They’ve brought in a few new players. We’ve been stretched with our numbers, and we’re not totally there but we’re going in the right direction so hopefully we can put on a good performance.”

Born in Hertfordshire, Tim Sherwood began his career with the Hornets making his debut against Sheffield Wednesday in 1987. The dynamic midfielder played more than 50 times before making his final appearance at the end of the 1988/89 campaign.

After a move to Norwich City, he departed for Kenny Dalglish’s Rovers, where he would eventually be made captain, and in 1995 he held the Premier League trophy aloft at Ewood Park. In total, Sherwood played more than 200 times for Blackburn.

Overall:

Won: 13
Drawn: 12
Lost: 14

Last Six:

September 2022: Blackburn Rovers 2-0 Watford (Championship)
February 2021: Blackburn Rovers 2-3 Watford (Championship)
October 2020: Watford 3-1 Blackburn Rovers (Championship)
February 2015: Watford 1-0 Blackburn Rovers (Championship)
September 2014: Blackburn Rovers 2-2 Watford (Championship)
March 2014: Watford 3-3 Blackburn Rovers (Championship)

Goals from João Pedro, Tom Cleverley and an own goal gave Watford a 3-1 victory over Blackburn Rovers in their last meeting at Vicarage Road during the 2020/21 campaign.