Expect Wrexham to line up in their usual 3-4-2-1, with wing-backs pushing high and the two number tens — likely Rathbone and Broadhead — buzzing in the half-spaces. Parkinson will want to overload the wide areas and get crosses into the box for Smith. The midfield double pivot of James and O'Brien will sit deep, screen the back three, and look to spring quick transitions. This is a side built to press and punish.

Watford will likely stick with their 4-2-3-1, but they have a problem: their double pivot is not mobile enough. Against a team that presses in packs, they will be forced into long balls. Their wide players will tuck in, but that leaves the full-backs exposed. Wrexham's wing-backs will feast on that space. The Hornets' set-piece threat is real, but they will not get many chances if they are camped in their own half.