Hull City v Watford: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Hull City begin life under new boss Ruben Selles and the Spaniard's immediate task is to lift the Tigers off the bottom of the Championship table as quickly as possible.

The MKM Stadium side have slumped to last place on the back of an 11-match winless streak which has seen them lose their last six.

It looks a tough task, though, against seventh-placed Watford, who have won four of their last seven fixtures, drawing twice and losing once.

Hull City v Watford Predictions

Watford to win & under 2.5 goals - 11/2

Hull have tasked former Reading and Southampton boss Selles with the job of turning around their fortunes, but the Spaniard has had less than a week to work with his new side and more time may be needed to see if he can claw the Tigers away from the bottom of the table.

Saturday's 1-0 home loss to Blackburn was no disgrace as the Lancashire side are going great guns in the Championship, but it was the latest in a long line of disappointing results which prompted the City hierarchy to sack Tim Walter at the end of November following a dismal 17-match reign.

Walter was an advocate of a possession-based approach and, although his side saw plenty of the ball in matches, their lack of a cutting edge proved costly on many occasions.

Hull have won just three times this season, all in a row at the end of September, but they have rarely been blown away in defeat and another low-scoring loss looks likely on Wednesday.

Six of their 10 defeats in all competitions this season have been by a single goal, while 13 of their 19 Championship fixtures have featured under 2.5 goals.

The Hornets are challenging for a play-off place as a minimum requirement but their away form has been patchy this season, so it is hard to be too bullish about their chances this week, but a scrappy victory looks well within reach.

They have lost six of their nine road assignments this season, but they can extend their four-match unbeaten streak with a win featuring no more than two goals on Wednesday evening.

Six of the last seven meetings between these two have finished with two goals or fewer and this latest encounter at the MKM Stadium looks set to follow suit.

Vakoun Bayo to score at any time - 9/4

Watford have scored 26 goals in the Championship this term, ranking them sixth in the section, and half of them have come away from home this season.

That gives them an average of 1.4 goals per game on the road and it is hard to see them cutting loose when they roll into Hull on Wednesday evening.

However, if they do get on the scoresheet then in-form striker Vakoun Bayo looks a decent price at 9/4 to make his mark in East Yorkshire.

Bayo is tied fourth on seven goals with four other players in the Championship this season, including a four-goal haul in the 6-2 win at Sheffield Wednesday at the start of November.

The Ivory Coast forward has added a couple more since and Watford's leading scorer in this campaign looks a good bet to add to his tally this week.

Over 1.5 Hull cards - 8/15

Hull's woes this season mainly come from a lack of goals, they are the joint-lowest scoring side with Cardiff on 17, but a low yellow-card count could also point to where the Tigers' issues lie, with their card count of 33 the fourth lowest in the section.

City appear to be too nice a side and they are averaging just 1.7 bookings per match in this season's Championship.

However, it may be worth backing them to cross that mark on Wednesday as they look to impress new boss Selles.

A new manager bounce can often see players raise their performance levels and that extra enthusiasm could catch the eye of the referee as well as the new man in the dugout, so at least two home bookings look likely.

Hull defender Charlie Hughes is suspended for this contest after picking up five yellow cards this season, but only 13 of his fellow team-mates have fallen foul of the officials this term of the 22 players who have been used.

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Hull City v Watford Odds

Hull City - 5/4
Draw - 12/5
Watford - 21/10

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.