Manchester City start the weekend a point clear of Liverpool, with their title rivals not playing until Sunday, this home game against Watford could see City go four points ahead of Liverpool. City have won each of their last five Premier League games and nine of the last ten. Home form this season has seen them win 14 league games and just one loss to Crystal Palace. 50 league goals have been scored at the Etihad and every team outside the top five have scored less than that in total, let alone at home. They'd scored at least twice in each of their last 15 home league games before the recent 1-0 win over West Ham. Watford are eighth in the Premier League and only behind seventh-placed Wolves on goal difference. It's 30 years since they beat Manchester City and they have lost their last nine meetings with 29 goals conceded. Watford have won three of their last four league games but the other saw them lose 5-0 at Anfield. They have only won one of their last four away league games and the tip here is for City to get the win and be ahead at both half and full time.
Manchester City are supposed to smash the majority of teams in the Premier League, and have the resources to do it, specially since De Bruyne is back. Nevertheless, last week saw them struggling to get a 1-0 win against West Ham. They don't show the same pace as in the first days of the competition and the Champions League is knocking at their door, they need to be on form for the next rounds. Guardiola will be happy with a 2-0.
The past couple of weeks have been fairly typical of Watford's up-and-down season - they scored five at Cardiff, conceded five at Liverpool, and then scored a last-minute winner against Leicester - and I am supposed to be predicting their results. They have got some good players but there is something about the Hornets that is epitomised by their striker Troy Deeney, who seems to be the catalyst for them to put in a good performance when he is playing well and getting stuck in individually. I am sure Deeney will make his presence felt at Etihad Stadium, but I only see this game going one way. Manchester City have only squeezed past West Ham and Bournemouth in their past two games, winning 1-0 on both occasions, but I don't think that matters. I am not sure Watford will go for a shut-out in the same way and, even if they do, I don't think they are good enough defensively to pull it off. They were wide open down the flanks when they went to Anfield recently and, even if they don't play exactly the same way this time, if they leave any space, then Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane will punish them.
Manchester City start the weekend a point clear of Liverpool, with their title rivals not playing until Sunday, this home game against Watford could see City go four points ahead of Liverpool. City have won each of their last five Premier League games and nine of the last ten. Home form this season has seen them win 14 league games and just one loss to Crystal Palace. 50 league goals have been scored at the Etihad and every team outside the top five have scored less than that in total, let alone at home. They'd scored at least twice in each of their last 15 home league games before the recent 1-0 win over West Ham.
Watford are eighth in the Premier League and only behind seventh-placed Wolves on goal difference. It's 30 years since they beat Manchester City and they have lost their last nine meetings with 29 goals conceded. Watford have won three of their last four league games but the other saw them lose 5-0 at Anfield. They have only won one of their last four away league games and the tip here is for City to get the win and be ahead at both half and full time.