Watford come into this one off the back of a narrow 1-0 EFL Cup win over Crawley Town at Vicarage Road. That's the kind of result that gets the job done but doesn't set the pulse racing. Alessio Dionisi's side looked solid enough, but there's a nagging feeling that they're missing a spark. The summer departures of Giorgi Chakvetadze and Nestory Irankunda have stripped away the creativity and the goals. Who steps up? That's the big question hanging over this Watford side, and it's a question that doesn't have an obvious answer yet.

Southampton, meanwhile, arrive with real momentum. Their recent 2-1 win over Middlesbrough showed a side with Premier League pedigree and the kind of quality that should see them compete at the top of the Championship. Yes, they're starting the season with a four-point deduction thanks to the Spygate saga, but that feels like a chip on their shoulder rather than a weight. They'll want to make a statement, and what better place than Vicarage Road? The form rating from the research says it all: Watford 3.9/10, Southampton 8.9/10. That's a chasm, and it's hard to argue with it.