Sky Sports pundit makes three-goal prediction for Ipswich vs Watford

David Prutton has backed Ipswich Town to get back to winning ways when they host Watford at Portman Road on Wednesday night.

The Tractor Boys will be looking to pick up more important points, in their battle to win a second straight promotion, and secure a place in the Premier League.

Watford meanwhile, sit comfortably in mid-table, with little to play for between now and the end of the campaign.

Varying situations for Ipswich and Watford

Saturday saw Ipswich dealt a blow in their pursuit of promotion, as they were beaten 1-0 by local rivals Norwich City at Carrow Road.

That ended a run of three straight wins for the Tractor Boys. Kieran McKenna's side do however, still occupy second place in the Championship table.

They will be guaranteed to at least stay there with a win, and could even go top with three points, if Leicester City fail to win at Millwall.

By contrast, Watford are unbeaten in four games since Tom Cleverley took over as interim manager following the sacking of Valerien Ismael.

However, they are 14th in the table,mathematically out of running for a play-off place, and nine clear of the relegation zone, so this could be a quiet end to the season for the Hornets.

As a result, Prutton is expecting Ipswich to bounce back in this game, and take another step towards a long-awaited return to the top-flight.

Prutton on Ipswich vs Watford

Following the disappointment of that derby defeat on Saturday, Prutton believes Ipswich will make a quick return to winning ways here.

That is despite the relatively solid run Watford have been on since their change in manager.

Writing in his regular predictions column for Sky Sports, the former Southampton and Sheffield Wednesday midfielder said:

"You can understand the disappointment among Ipswich fans after that result at Norwich. They were beaten, but they were also very flat at Carrow Road. Kieran McKenna won’t be pleased you can be sure of that.

"Watford are still unbeaten under Tom Cleverley, with three draws following a win. But the Tractor Boys tend to rally from a poor result. So I think this is a home win."

With that in mind, Prutton is predicting that Ipswich will beat Watford 2-1 at Portman Road on Wednesday night.

Ipswich should be favourites against Watford

It would feel like any sort of big surprise if Ipswich do get back to winning ways against the Hornets in midweek.

The Tractor Boys have not lost back to back league games all season, so they have shown they have the resilience to respond to the setback they endured at the weekend.

Indeed, given that came in a derby game where they produced an underwhelming performance, there is a sense that they will owe their supporters something now they are back on home soil.

Beyond that, there is of course much more for Ipswich to play for, than there is for Watford. With the Tractor Boys still well in the hunt for automatic promotion, they do have a much greater need for points than Watford, who look certain for a mid-table finish.

That too should act as motivation for Ipswich to go out and get the win they need in this match, and the fact they are some way ahead of Watford in the table, also suggests they have the greater ability this season to go out and do that.

With all of that in mind, it would be no huge shock if Ipswich did pick up three more points in pursuit of their promotion back to the Premier League against Watford on Wednesday night.