Watford vs Manchester City
England – Premier League
Date: Saturday, 4 December 2021
Kick-off at 17:30 UK/ 18:30 CET
Venue: Vicarage Road.
When Manchester City takes on Watford at Vicarage Road on Saturday, they will be hoping to extend their incredible winning streak.
Club football is moving at a dizzying pace throughout Europe.
On Saturday, Gameweek 15 of the 2021/22 Premier League season will kick off with a London derby between West Ham United and Chelsea.
Watford hosts Manchester City at Vicarage Road, bringing the day’s action to a climax in Hertfordshire.
Watford have been impressive in recent weeks, despite the results not going their way.
Claudio Ranieri has had a beneficial impact on the dressing room since his appointment as Xisco Munoz’s replacement two months ago, according to the Hornets.
Chelsea’s fighting spirit was on full display earlier this week against Watford, who they narrowly defeated 2-1.
Manchester City, on the other hand, has been rediscovering its relentless selves in recent weeks, despite the fact that the lack of a natural striker can be revealing at times.
Despite this, the Citizens have recently gone on a six-game winning streak.
This run includes wins over Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain, with their most recent match culminating in a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa this week.
Manchester City defeated Watford 4-0 in the equivalent encounter last season, with goals from Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, and Aymeric Laporte.
The Hard Tackle examines the matchup before of the most recent meeting between the two teams.
Watford vs Manchester City Head to head :
- The latest encounter had ended in a 0-4 win for Pep’s men.
- In fact, the combined scorecard for the past three meetings is 18-0, in their favor.
- They are on a 13-fixture winning streak.
- The hosts have scored a total of one goal at this venue in the past five-year period.
Watford vs Manchester City Prediction :
Even though Claudio Ranieri has been handed a challenging run of fixtures to turn his team’s fortunes around, Watford have shown a lot of battling spirit.
Despite the fact that the Hornets have lost five of their last seven games under Ranieri, the importance of resiliency appears to have been instilled in them recently.
Manchester City, on the other hand, has indisputable quality in their team, and the players on the bench are sure to make an impact.
Furthermore, Raheem Sterling should play a significant role, while Emmanuel Dennis and Joshua King will combine for a goal on the other end.
Manchester City, however, should be able to secure all three points with a 3-1 victory on Saturday.
Watford vs Manchester City Team news :
Danny Rose is poised to fill in for Watford defender Adam Masina, who was declared fit for the Chelsea encounter but forced to leave after only 12 minutes.
Ismaila Sarr, Kwadwo Baah, Ben Foster, Nicolas N’Koulou, and Peter Etebo will miss the rest of the season, although Ken Sema and Francisco Sierralta should be back shortly.
In a tired midfield, it’s not surprise to see Juraj Kucka get a start, but given his side’s brave performance in midweek, Ranieri will be hesitant to alter the pack too much.
Phil Foden and Jack Grealish were fit enough to start in midweek for City, but Ilkay Gundogan, John Stones, and Kyle Walker were all forced to sit out.
While Ferran Torres is still absent, and Kevin De Bruyne has recovered from COVID-19 infection, the trio will be OK for the trip south.
However, Aymeric Laporte’s return from suspension is a good boost, and both Grealish and Foden could be declared healthy enough to start, though both men completing the full 90 minutes would be a surprise.
Watford possible starting lineup:
Bachmann; Ngakia, Troost-Ekong, Cathcart, Rose; Kucka; Dennis, Sissoko, Cleverley, Pedro; King
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Cancelo, Dias, Laporte, Zinchenko; Silva, Rodri, Foden; Jesus, Sterling, Grealish
