Watford manager Walter Mazzarri has admitted that his side are in for a tough test on Wednesday evening when facing a "very angry and focused" Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

The Citizens suffered their third Premier League defeat of the season at the weekend, and their second in the space of a week, as they fell 4-2 to champions Leicester City.

City head into this week's fixture against the Hornets sitting fourth in the table and now seven points adrift of leaders Chelsea, meaning that a return to winning ways is a must for Pep Guardiola's men on home soil.

Mazzarri's side are full of confidence following their 3-2 win over Everton on Saturday lunchtime, however, and the Italian hopes to use that victory as a springboard to continue his side's climb up the division.

"I saw the game against Leicester. I was surprised, but in Italy we have a saying: 'Each game has its own story'," he told reporters. "This won't help us. We will find Manchester City very angry and focused, we won't have the luck that they will underestimate us.

"If we put ourselves in front of our opponents we can fight against any Premier League team. If we are 100% ready, we can play against any team in the Premier League and battle for the three points. This is something that gives us a lot of positivity before the game."

Despite losing back-to-back league games, City are still sixth in the overall form guide across the past five weeks.