Manchester City vs Watford Match Preview: Classic Encounter, Key Battles and More

Manchester City host Watford at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, and the Citizens will be looking to bounce back after their shock 0-0 stalemate against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

City's 18-game winning streak came to an end in their draw against the Eagles on Sunday, and it could have been a whole lot worse if Ederson had not saved a last minute penalty from Luka Milivojević. On a day of negativity, that saw key players like Kevin De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus pick up injuries, one positive came out of the game, and that was City's unbeaten record remained intact. 

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As for Watford, they fell to a shock defeat at home against struggling Swansea City. The Hornets had the chances to kill the game off, but were wasteful in their finishing. If Watford are to get anything out of the match on Tuesday, they will need to be clinical against a City side that do not offer up many opportunities.

Classic Encounter

Back in the 2013/14 season, these two sides met in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Watford traveled to the Etihad, with the Hornets at the time playing in the Championship. 

The game began as expected with the home side dominating, but to the surprise of the home support it was the Hornets who scored first. Troy Deeney played a defence splitting pass through to striker Fernando Forestieri who found himself one on one with Costel Pantilimon, and the Argentine finished coolly past the Romanian.

Things got even better for the Hornets in the mid-way point of the first half, as Deeney punished some slack City defending to give the Hornets a shock 2-0 lead.

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City came out of the traps quickly in the second half, and with 10 minutes of the second period gone it was City's talisman Sergio Aguero who halved the deficit. Soon after City levelled the scoreline, and it was Aguero again who this time curled the ball majestically into the top left corner.

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The home side's onslaught continued and with ten minutes remaining they went ahead for the first time in the contest. A bit of fortune was involved in the goal however, as goalkeeper Jonathan Bond let Aleksandar Kolarov's 35 yard shot trickle under his body.

City added insult to injury in the dying moments, as Aguero grabbed his hat-trick when he headed home from close range.

City won the game 4-2, and went on to win the Premier League that season. As for Watford, they finished 13th in the Championship.

Key Battles

Walker vs Richarlison

Kyle Walker has been outstanding since his move to the Etihad in the summer. The Englishman has improved immensely under Pep Guardiola, and at the moment is the best right-back in the league.

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As for Richarlison, the Brazilian has had an up and down time in English football. The Brazil international went through somewhat of a slump after a fantastic start to the season, but in recent weeks has shown glimpses of getting back to his best.

This battle will be key as if Richarlison can make Walker defend more than he attacks, then Watford will have a better chance at victory. However, if Richarlison is on defensive duty for the majority of the game, then City could run out convincing winners.

Guardiola vs Silva

It is fair to say that Pep Guardiola has gotten the better of every coach that he has come up against this season in the Premier League, no more so than Marco Silva. 

Back in September, Silva got his tactics completely wrong and his side fell to an embarrassing 6-0 defeat at Vicarage Road. Silva was too attacking in his approach last time against City, and it will be interesting to see what tactic the Portuguese man deploys come Tuesday.

Silva will undoubtedly take confidence from Palace's ability to keep out City on Sunday, and it could be the case that the ex-Hull City boss implements a similar tactic to that of the Eagles on Tuesday. 

Team News

Manchester City

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Star man Kevin De Bruyne and youngster Gabriel Jesus both picked up nasty injuries against Palace on Sunday, and are likely to miss the game. De Bruyne is expected to be back sooner rather than later, but as for Jesus he is set to miss more than a month of football.

Watford

The injuries are piling up for Silva, with the likes of  Nathan Chalobah still sidelined, and captain Deeney still suspended. 

Potential Lineups

Manchester City (4-3-3): Ederson - Walker, Otamendi, Mangala, Danilo - Gundogan, Fernandinho, Toure - Sterling, Aguero, B.Silva.

Watford (4-2-3-1): Gomes - Janmaat, Wague, Kabasele, Holebas - Cleverley, Doucoure - Richarlison, Carrillo, Pereyra - Okaka.

Prediction

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Despite City being held to a 0-0 draw last time out, a win for the Citizens is on the cards. Watford have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last eight Premier League games, and against a City side that are clinical in front of goal, a comfortable win for the home side is expected.

Manchester City 4-0 Watford