Watford vs Leicester: Predicted lineups, team news and injury updates

Last Word on Football provides a comprehensive preview of Saturday afternoon’s EFL Championship meeting between Watford and Leicester City, including the latest team updates and predicted starting XIs.

Leicester’s struggles continued last weekend as they suffered another defeat, this time at the hands of QPR, who had little difficulty securing all three points at the King Power Stadium.

Attention now turns to their trip to Vicarage Road, where they will face a Watford side enjoying a relatively solid run of form.

The Hornets have claimed three victories from their last six outings and head into this contest on the back of an impressive 3-1 win over Wrexham in midweek, a result that has strengthened their push for a play-off place.

Match Details

Date: 21 March 2026

Venue: Vicarage Road

Kick-off: 15:00 GMT

Last meeting: Leicester 1-2 Watford (26 December 2025)

Referee: Joshua Smith

Odds: Watford 1/1, Leicester 5/2

Watford Team News

Watford have benefited from strong squad depth in recent weeks, allowing them to cope effectively despite a number of injury setbacks. This depth was evident in their convincing midweek win, and manager Ed Still emphasised its importance ahead of this fixture.

Several players remain sidelined with muscle issues, including Othmane Maamma, Kwadwo Baah and Jeremy Ngakia. Jeremy Petris and Stephen Mfuni are also unavailable.

However, there were positives in midweek as Mamadou Doumbia and Mattie Pollock returned to action, with Pollock in particular delivering an impressive performance that drew praise from his manager.

Leicester Team News

Leicester continue to deal with inconsistency, with returning players yet to make a decisive impact on results. Their defeat to QPR highlighted ongoing issues, particularly at home, and manager Gary Rowett expressed frustration with the reliability of certain members of his squad.

In terms of availability, there are no new injury concerns. Harry Souttar and Jannik Vestergaard are edging back into contention in limited capacities, while Asmir Begovic and Aaron Ramsey could return after the international break. Despite these potential reinforcements, Rowett appears to have a clear idea of his preferred selections.

Opportunities have been limited for several younger players. Louis Page has dropped back to the under-21s after featuring regularly earlier in the season, while Bade Aluko was left out of the matchday squad last time out and Jeremy Monga has remained unused in recent matches. With Leicester battling near the bottom, experience has taken priority, though changes may be required to improve results.

Predicted Lineups

Watford:

Selvik; Abankwah, Pollock, Goglichidze, Bola; Ekwah, Louza; Irankunda, Chakvetadze, Chakvetadze; Kayembe, Kjerrumgaard

Leicester City:

Stolarczyk; Pereira, Okoli, Nelson, Thomas; Skipp, James; Fatawu, De Cordova-Reid, Mavididi; Daka