Manchester City vs Watford Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats

Manchester City will aim to consolidate their place atop the Premier League table when they welcome Watford to the Etihad on Saturday.

Five more rounds of fixtures remain for the 2021/22 Premier League season to end, and the fight for the title is going down to the wire. The relegation battle is just as interesting, and the two worlds will collide on Saturday afternoon when Manchester City and Watford face off at the Etihad.

By this time of the season, one trophy tends to be in Manchester City’s cabinet. But things are different in 2021/22, with Liverpool winning the Carabao Cup instead. The Citizens are also out of the FA Cup, but they remain in contention to win the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.

Pep Guardiola’s men have slipped up in domestic football in 2022, squandering what should have been an unassailable eight-point advantage over Liverpool. But Manchester City and Liverpool are separated by just one point heading into the season’s business end, with the reigning champions arguably having a kinder run-in.

On the other hand, Watford’s 2021/22 campaign has been mired in the relegation dogfight from the onset. The Hornets are fighting for their lives in the Premier League, but safety looks highly unlikely, with 17th-placed Everton seven points clear. So Watford will likely need a miracle to escape from the drop zone before the season ends.

Manchester City ran out 3-1 winners in the reverse fixture, with Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva on target, while Cucho Hernandez scored the consolation goal for Watford. Ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter.

Team News & Tactics

Manchester City

Pep Guardiola has a couple of injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of the visit of Watford. On Saturday, the Manchester City manager could be bereft of the services of three first-team players due to minor issues.

Kyle Walker (ankle) remains on his road to recovery, while John Stones (knock) and Nathan Ake (foot) picked up minor issues earlier this week against Brighton & Hove Albion. But the good news is that the trio could be available to take on Watford, with the Manchester City medical team set to take a late call on their involvement.

However, Walker will unlikely feature for Manchester City even if he is available, as Guardiola illustrated perfectly by easing Ruben Dias back into the thick of the action. With the game against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League holding more importance, Walker will come off the bench against Watford to build his fitness.

In Walker’s absence, Joao Cancelo, who will be unavailable to take on Real Madrid, will be the designated right-back, with Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte poised to pair up at the heart of the Manchester City defence. Oleksandr Zinchenko picks himself in the left-back berth, with Ederson Moraes an automatic choice between the sticks.

While selecting the midfield trio, Guardiola could have one eye on the Real Madrid game. Rodri will thus be in line to get rested against Watford, with Fernandinho reprising the anchor role in the middle of the park. Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne will line up alongside the Manchester City captain, with Ilkay Gundogan likely to appear off the bench.

The offensive unit could also see some shuffles, with Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling and Jack Grealish likely to get the nod in the final third. Guardiola will thus preserve Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden for the big game next week, with neither expected to feature if Manchester City can manage to make short work of Watford.

Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Ederson; Cancelo, Dias, Laporte, Zinchenko; Silva, Fernandinho, De Bruyne; Jesus, Sterling, Grealish

Watford

Unlike his counterpart in the Manchester City dugout, Roy Hodgson has been handed a boost on the team news front ahead of the trip to the Etihad. The Watford manager could be without five first-team players on Saturday.

The good news is William Troost-Ekong’s return, with the Nigerian international recovering from a hamstring injury. But Kwadwo Baah (ankle), Cucho Hernandez (hamstring), and Nicolas Nkoulou (match fitness) remain unavailable, while Samuel Kalu (ankle) and Francisco Sierralta (calf) might require late tests to determine their availability.

Ben Foster is an automatic pick in the Watford goal, with the visitors set to line up in a 4-3-3 formation against Manchester City. Christian Kabasele and Samir will likely form the central defensive partnership, with Troost-Ekong expected to return in the next game. Kiko Femenia and Hassane Kamara are certainties to feature as full-backs.

Up ahead in midfield, the onus will be on Moussa Sissoko to keep things tight. The veteran French midfielder will receive defensive support from Imran Louza and Juraj Kucka. The duo will also look to provide the forward thrust from the middle of the park during transitions.

Finally, the offensive unit picks itself, with Joshua King likely to miss out on a starting berth. Joao Pedro will lead the line for Watford against Manchester City, with Emmanuel Dennis and Ismaila Sarr being the two dynamic wide men.

Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Foster; Femenia, Kabasele, Samir, Kamara; Louza, Sissoko, Kucka; Sarr, Pedro, Dennis

Key Stats

• Manchester City have won their last 14 meetings with Watford in all competitions and could become the first English league side in history to win 15 consecutive competitive games against an opponent. The Hornets have lost 11 of their last 12 away games against Manchester City in all competitions, with the exception being a 0-0 draw in December 2006. Their last away win against the Citizens was in the top-flight in April 1987 (2-1).
• Manchester City have won 15 of their previous 16 Premier League games against teams in the drop zone (D1) since a 3-2 loss against Norwich in September 2019. Since drawing 1-1 with West Bromwich Albion in December 2020, the Citizens have won their last nine such matches by an aggregate score of 31-0.
• Watford have taken just one point from 39 available in away league games against reigning top-flight champions (W0 D1 L12), drawing 2-2 at Chelsea in December 2015. The Hornets have conceded 45 goals in these 13 games, losing 8-0 at Manchester City last time out.
• All three of Watford boss Roy Hodgson’s Premier League wins over Manchester City have come away from home (two with Fulham, one with Crystal Palace), only beating Newcastle United more often in away games (four). Pep Guardiola has won all 10 of his meetings with Watford in all competitions by an aggregate score of 42-4. It is his best 100% win rate against an opponent in his managerial career.

Player to Watch

Raheem Sterling

Embed from Getty Images

Raheem Sterling has endured a roller-coaster ride in the 2021/22 season. The English international began the campaign slowly before becoming a pivotal figure for Manchester City by scoring a few crucial goals midway through the term. But he has lost his spot as a regular in the last few weeks and needs to do something to turn his fortunes around, especially with speculation surrounding his future mounting again.

Sterling’s record against Watford is impressive, and the 27-year-old will take heart from it. The ex-Liverpool attacker has found the back of the net 11 times versus Watford, scoring ten goals in his last six outings against the Hornets. That is his best tally against any team, and Sterling will be eager to bolster it further on Saturday.

Prediction

Manchester City 3-0 Watford

Watford might be second from bottom in the Premier League, but several bigwigs have found the hard way that they are a tough nut to crack. Manchester City endured a testing evening against Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this week, and the Hornets could pose some problems too.

But unlike the midweek fixture, the Manchester City players will get in their stride quicker before breaking the deadlock in the first half. The maiden goal will open the floodgates, allowing Manchester City to beat Watford 3-0 and stretch their lead over Liverpool to four points ahead of the Merseyside derby on Sunday.