Prediction: Manchester City vs Watford

Verdict: Both teams to score – yes

Best Odds: 4/5

Bookmaker: Bet365

Pep Guardiola is going through the most difficult time since his arrival to Manchester City and the Spaniard will be urging his team to make a strong case for themselves and bounce back from the three-match winless run against Watford, in the midweek encounter at the Etihad.

Manchester City

The Citizens’ title bid is slowly starting to lose its ground after ten opening wins in as many games at the beginning of the season but Manchester City now remain seven points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea. Pep Guardiola has arguably been given a more difficult introduction to his life in the Midlands than he could have anticipated. The Spaniard gathered 30 points from 15 games which is his worst start to a league season. A 1-1 draw against Everton, which followed the 2-0 defeat at Tottenham, marked the beginning of a poor stretch for Guardiola’s side which resulted in Citizens picking just 12 points from their nine league games. Back-to-back defeats to Chelsea 3-1 at the Etihad and 4-2 at Premier league champions Leicester City are two huge slaps in the face for Guardiola’s men, who need to bounce back to winning ways as soon as possible and the midweek match against Watford seems like a perfect opportunity to record a morale-boosting victory. Sergio Aguero has so far been the brightest spark in otherwise underachieving Manchester City team with 10 goals to his name so far, but the Argentine is suspended due to his red card against Chelsea and could be sorely missed once again.

Team News

Flamboyant forward Sergio Aguero is serving his red-card suspension, together with midfielder Fernandinho who is unavailable through the same reason.

Pep Guardiola will have no fresh selection worries as Fabian Delph and Vincent Kompany remain the only other unavailable players for the midweek clash against the Hornets.

Watford

Walter Mazzarri’s side will be keen to capitalize on Manchester City’s form on Wednesday, but in addition to beating the odds Watford need to beat their own struggle with consistency. The Hornets have been rather poor away from home this season, having won only one in last five outings and losing the last two trips outside their home turf. Watford have done well enough to make themselves a force to be reckoned with 15 rounds in the new season as they are sitting as high as in seventh place in the Premier League standings. Mazzarri’s men are no pushover as was shown in their 3-2 win over Everton which will have provided Watford with a well-timed morale boost after the two consecutive defeats to WBA and Stoke. The exhausting triumph came at a cost however as several key players are struggling with fitness after excruciatingly intense games Premier League comes with in abundance. Watford have demonstrated a fighting spirit so far in the league, battling hard for points wherever given a slight chance to gain their footing. They have managed to outscore Manchester United this season, whereas conceding goals has been a slightly worrying issue for the club and an aspect that needs some sorting to do prior to the trip to Eithad.

Team News

Adrian Mariappa is unavailable through a knee injury, whereas Kenedy and Brice Dja Djedje are also in line to miss the game against Manchester City due to injuries.

Craig Cathcart, Valon Behrami and Younes Kaboul will all face a late fitness test in order to determine their availability.

Key Aspects to Consider

• Man City won just 4 of their last 15 matches across all competitions
• Citizens conceded 7 goals during the last 2 Premier League games
• Watford failed to win in 4 of their last 5 away matches in the league
• City have picked just 12 points from 9 Premier League matches
• Pep Guardiola is enduring the worst start to a league season

Conclusion

Manchester City are expected to go full strength against Watford straight from the off, but their defences have been rather porous of late. Watford are a well-organised side who likes to play attacking football and is not shy from going forward so we do predict an openly-contested clash with nets bulging at both ends.

Verdict: Both teams to score – yes

Best Odds: 4/5

Bookmaker: Bet365