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Premier League | Gameweek 34
Apr 23, 2022 at 3pm UK
Etihad Stadium
WL

Man City
5 - 1
Watford

Jesus (4', 23', 49' pen., 53'), Rodri (34')
Cancelo (43')
FT(HT: 3-1)
Kamara (28')

Preview: Manchester City vs. Watford - prediction, team news, lineups

:Headline: Preview: Manchester City vs. Watford - prediction, team news, lineups:
Sports Mole previews Saturday's Premier League clash between Manchester City and Watford, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Sports Mole

Manchester City will be looking to move four points clear at the top of the Premier League table when they welcome Watford to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Citizens will enter the contest off the back of a 3-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday, while Watford suffered a 2-1 loss to Brentford in their last match on April 16.


Match preview

Man City returned to the top of the Premier League table on Wednesday evening courtesy of a 3-0 success over Brighton, with Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva on the scoresheet in the second period.

The Citizens are again one point clear of second-placed Liverpool and will have the chance to move four points clear on Saturday, as Liverpool are not in action until Sunday, when they face Everton in the Merseyside derby.

Pep Guardiola's side lost to Liverpool in the semi-finals of the FA Cup last weekend, so they are now fighting on just two fronts, aiming for success in the Premier League and Champions League, and Real Madrid will visit the Etihad Stadium for the first leg of their European Cup semi-final next week.

Man City will then take on Leeds United at the end of April before travelling to Real Madrid for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final, and it will be fascinating to see how the campaign finishes, as the club could win two trophies, one or potentially zero, with Liverpool aiming for a quadruple.

The Citizens have been strong in front of their own supporters in the league this season, picking up 38 points from 16 matches, but Watford have actually been much better away from home than at Vicarage Road, with 15 of their 22 points coming on their travels this term.

Watford are far from down and out, but there is no getting away from the fact that something special will need to happen in the final weeks of the campaign if they are to survive.

The Hornets are currently 19th in the table, seven points behind 17th-placed Everton, who have a game in hand, but they have some winnable matches coming up.

Indeed, Roy Hodgson's side have a gigantic home game against Burnley at the end of the month before taking on Crystal Palace and Everton in back-to-back fixtures, while their final two matches of the campaign are against Leicester City and Chelsea.

Watford picked up an impressive three points away to Southampton on March 13 but have lost their last three league matches against Liverpool, Leeds United and Brentford, conceding seven times in the process.

The Hornets have also lost each of their last 14 games against Man City in all competitions, including a 3-1 defeat in the reverse match at Vicarage Road earlier this season.

Manchester City Premier League form:
  • W
  • W
  • D
  • W
  • D
  • W

Manchester City form (all competitions):
  • W
  • W
  • D
  • D
  • L
  • W

Watford Premier League form:
  • L
  • L
  • W
  • L
  • L
  • L

Team News

Man City are again likely to be without Kyle Walker due to an ankle problem, while John Stones and Nathan Ake both picked up issues during the clash with Brighton on Wednesday.

Neither problem is believed to be serious, but Guardiola will not want to take any risks with the pair at such a key stage of the season, so there could be a return to the XI for Ruben Dias, who featured off the bench against Brighton, having now recovered from injury.

Guardiola will have one eye on the clash with Real Madrid, so it would not be a surprise to see a number of changes to the team for this match, with Fernandinho, Raheem Sterling, Jack Grealish, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko potentially coming into the side.

As for Watford, Cucho Hernandez, Samuel Kalu and Francisco Sierralta are still unavailable for selection, but William Troost-Ekong has now returned to full training.

There are unlikely to be any surprises in the away side's XI on Saturday afternoon, with Emmanuel Dennis, Joao Pedro and Ismaila Sarr set to feature in the final third of the field.

Tom Cleverley and Joshua King are among the players pushing for spots in the side, but it could ultimately be same team that took to the field for the first whistle against Brentford last time out.

Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Cancelo, Dias, Laporte, Zinchenko; Gundogan, Fernandinho, De Bruyne; Grealish, Sterling, Jesus

Watford possible starting lineup:
Foster; Femenia, Kabasele, Samir, Kamara; Sissoko, Louza, Lucka; Dennis, Pedro, Sarr


We say: Manchester City 2-0 Watford

Watford are certainly capable of making it an uncomfortable 90 minutes for Man City, with the Hornets boasting a lot of talent in the final third of the field. Man City cannot afford to drop points, though, and we are fully expecting the Citizens to secure all three points in relatively routine fashion.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 2.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Over 2.5:data



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Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal35255585285780
2Manchester CityMan City34247382325079
3Liverpool35229477364175
4Aston Villa35207873522167
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs33186967521560
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd34166125251154
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle341651374551953
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham351310125665-949
9Chelsea33139116359448
10Bournemouth35139135260-848
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves35137154855-746
12Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton341111125257-544
13Fulham35127165155-443
14Crystal Palace351010154557-1240
15Everton35128153748-1136
16Brentford3598185260-835
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3579194262-2026
18Luton TownLuton3567224877-2925
19Burnley3559213870-3224
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd3537253497-6316
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