Pick of the stats: Watford v Birmingham City

Watford will look to extend their good run of form as visitors Birmingham City hope to end their winless spell as the two sides meet at Vicarage Road on New Year's Day (15:00 GMT).

The Hornets have won their past three successive games to put themselves into the play-off places and are undefeated across their last six, though the last team to beat them were Blues.

However, the West Midlands side haven't been able to find another win since that victory at St Andrew's in December.

Can they end a six match winless streak to deliver a league double against their hosts?

• Watford have won each of their last six home league games against Birmingham City without conceding; only against Portsmouth between 1962 and 1989 have they kept seven clean sheets in a row on home turf.
• Birmingham City had won just one of their last 12 league meetings with Watford prior to this season (D1 L10) but won the reverse fixture 2-1 last month; the Blues last completed a league double over the Hornets in 2008-09.
• Watford have only won their opening fixture in two of the last 14 calendar years (D2 L10), beating Wolves 2-1 in the Premier League in 2020 and Norwich in the Championship in 2023.
• Birmingham City haven't won a league game on New Year's Day since 1991 away at Mansfield Town (2-1), going winless in 15 such matches since then (D5 L10), which is the longest ongoing winless streak on January 1st of any team in England's top four tiers.
• Watford have only lost one of their last nine home league games against newly promoted opposition (W4 D4), winning all three such games last season.