Watford are back in action this evening with a match against Nottingham Forest that could see them climb to the top of the Championship.

While wins have been hard to come by for the Hornets on the road, with just three victories coming away from home since November last year, Vladimir Ivic is hoping his side are focused on the game rather than the statistics.

Here's how we think his side will line up tonight.

Formation: 4-4-2

It is unlikely, given the success of the 4-4-2 against Preston at the weekend, he will change things too drastically if at all. A shift in midfield could see him try 4-2-3-1 again maybe, but I think it's much more likely he will stick with the formula that produced in the head coach's words, one of the best performances so far this season.

GK: Ben Foster

This is an obvious choice and only an injury would see Daniel Bachmann given the nod ahead of Foster tonight.

RB: Jeremy Ngakia

It's difficult to see Ivic changing the full-backs, given the circumstances at the moment. Adam Masina is still a few weeks away from being in contention for a spot on the bench, while Ken Sema remains unavailable for now. That means Ngakia will very likely retain his spot at right-back, although Ben Wilmot did come on as a full-back at the weekend and is an option.

CB: William Troost-Ekong

Where there is room for rotation, Ivic may choose to implement it. Injuries and Covid are keeping several team members out at the moment, so he is limited with some of his choices, but at centre-back he has plenty of options. We could see a different centre-back pairing given the nod tonight, simply because of the hectic schedule. I think Troost-Ekong may be given the nod over Christian Kabasele, but the Belgian's performance on Saturday was impressive enough that he could well be played again tonight.

CB: Craig Cathcart

While I think we might see one change in the centre of defence, I think Ivic would also want some consistency and is unlikely to switch both central defenders.

LB: Kiko Femenia

Ivic has said on a number of occasions now that he prefers to use Femenia in his natural position on the right of defence, but at the moment he has little option other than to play him on the other side. In his press conference this week, the head coach said he is still hoping to bring in a left-back next month.

CM: James Garner

Another position where choices are limited is the centre of the pitch, with Etienne Capoue still out and both Tom Cleverley and Will Hughes only returning to training this week. While Cleverley or Hughes may make the nine man bench, I wouldn't bet on either making the starting XI. Garner did well against Preston though and impressed with his range of set piece deliveries.

CM: Nathaniel Chalobah

Fresh off the back of his most impressive performance not only this season, but for some time, Chalobah should be feeling confident going into this match and Ivic seems to rate him, so I think it's very likely he starts again tonight.

LW: Domingos Quina

While normally appearing in the centre of the park, Quina showed against Preston how good he can be out on the left as well. With both him and Ismaila Sarr getting into the box to join the two strikers, he is also someone who can pitch in with goals and I would expect him to keep his place for the trip to the City Ground.

RW: Ismaila Sarr

Watford's Messi, according to Andre Gray, has pitched in with goals and assists this month and is too good to leave out in my opinion. He will surely start tonight.

ST: Joao Pedro

Five goals this season and a good performance off the bench after Gray's injury on Saturday. I think he'll be given the nod tonight, although I wouldn't be too surprised to see Stipe Perica playing either.

ST: Troy Deeney

Ivic constantly speaks about playing it safe with players returning from injury, which he has done with Deeney, easing him back into the team gradually. He took the striker off on 70 minutes at the weekend, I think to keep him fresh and ready for this evening's match.

Watford Observer: