by Ian S. Palmer
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Newly-promoted Watford and Manchester City will begin the second half of the English Premier League campaign this Saturday, January 2 when they face each other at Vicarage Road in Watford. City is still in the hunt for another league title while Watford is aiming for a spot in the Europa League next season. Man City is coming off of a disappointing 0-0 draw in Leicester on Tuesday while Watford dropped a 2-1 decision at home to Tottenham Hotspur last Monday.
Watford vs Manchester City – bet365 Soccer BETTING LINE:
- bet365 currently lists Man City as the favorites at 7/10 with Watford 4/1 and a draw at 3/1
Watford vs Manchester City – Head to Head:
- These two teams met in Manchester back in August with City winning by a score of 2-0. They faced off in last year’s FA Cup with City doubling the visitors 4-2 at the Etihad and they also met in the same competition at the same venue in 2013 with City shutting Watford out 3-0. Their previous league meeting before this season was in April of 2007 with the match ending in a 1-1 draw at Vicarage Road They also played to a 0-0 draw in Manchester during that campaign. Overall, these two sides have met 21 times with Man City winning 10, losing six and drawing the other five. City is undefeated in the last eight and has lost just two of the past 14. Watford’s last win was 1-0 at home in a Division Two game in 1989.
Man City enters the 20th round of action in third place in the standings with 36 points, which is three behind league-leading Arsenal and Leicester City. They have 11 wins, three draws and five losses on the season with 37 goals scored and 12 allowed. They’ve played nine games on the road with three wins, three draws and three losses along with eight goals scored and eight allowed. They’ve struggled away from the Etihad Stadium this year and have three draws and three defeats in their past half dozen road outings. They have eight clean sheets this season and have been shut out four times.
Watford is on a bit of a hot streak as they enter the contest in eighth place with 29 points. They have eight victories, five draws and six losses while scoring 24 times and allowing 20 against. They enter the game 10 points behind first-place. Watford has recorded eight clean sheets so far this season and have been shut out five times. The team has four wins at home along with two draws and four losses with 10 goals scored and eight allowed. They have three victories and three defeats in their past six home contests.
Watford has a pretty tough schedule over the holiday period and have earned a 2-2 draw at Chelsea and lost 2-1 at home to Spurs. They’re a better road team this season and have struggled slightly on the road. On the other head, Man City is far better at home and has a poor away record with just three wins and eight goals in nine fixtures. Man City will be without defender and skipper Vincent Kompany and midfielder Samir Nasri while Fernando is expected to be back. Watford’s Joel Ekstrand is questionable for the match.