Manchester City vs Watford
Manchester City are going back to the Etihad Stadium as they look to regain top form by hosting Watford FC in the sixth matchday of the Premier League.
With their shocking loss against Norwich City, the Sky Blues are hoping to get back on track as they continue their title defence while playing catch-up with Liverpool at the top of the table.
The Pep Guardiola-managed club is currently second at the table with 10 points while Liverpool, who were last season’s runner-ups, are the league leaders with 15.
Meanwhile, Watford have had an underwhelming start for this season. They are currently at the bottom with only two points and they have nowhere to go but up from here.
They’ve managed to draw level against Arsenal in their previous matchup, and it’s not too late to climb back up at a few spots on the table as we go along.
Will the Hornets sustain their inspired play as of late? Or will the Sky Blues strap their boots and finally show their championship mettle?
Let SBOBET give you a preview of these two teams ahead of their match on Saturday.
Talking Points
A chink in Manchester City’s armour
Manchester City’s recent loss against the Canaries gave them something to think about as the latter took advantage of the former’s leaky defence. Along with that, the Sky Blues have been bitten by the injury bug which doesn’t help either.
John Stones is expected to miss significant time due to a muscular problem and centre-back Aymeric Laporte is also sidelined up until the New Year – leaving Pep Guardiola fewer options to fortify their backline.
That leaves the likes of Rodri, Fernandinho and Nicolas Otamendi at the back for the defending champions. And perhaps this will be the biggest challenge that this team will face ever since Vincent Kompany bolted last summer.
Pep Guardiola will have to find a solution fast to fix this. Besides Rodri, Fernandinho and Otamendi, the Spanish boss can pick between the likes of loans Tosin Adarabioyo, Philippe Sandler, or they can put in youngsters such as Eric Garcia and Taylor Hardwood-Bellis to hasten their development.
Are City now regretting that they didn’t spend on someone like Harry Maguire last summer? Maybe. But it all remains to be seen and this might be a blessing in disguise as most would think. However, it’s hard for the team to make any significant moves for the time being since the next transfer window will be months away from now.
Watford looking for resurgence
It was just one week ago when Javi Gracia was replaced by Quique Sanchez Flores to be their manager moving forward. It will be a homecoming of sorts for Flores as this will be his second stint at Vicarage Road after leading the Hornets to 13th in the league three years ago.
The Hornets have suffered a horrendous start to their campaign as they’ve only mustered two points after five matches. Even if they’re not expected to produce some of the best Premier League 2019 highlights this term, they could’ve at least put up a fight more consistently, just like in their match against Arsenal.
And perhaps a fresh face like Flores can alleviate the club’s concerns at this point. With him being familiar with mainstays Ben Foster, Danny Welbeck, and Troy Deeney, he might get more out of his players for the betterment of the squad.
Tom Cleverley and Roberto Pereyra provide some glimmer of hope for the languishing squad, but we should expect a better performance from a guy like Abdoulaye Doucoure as the season rolls along.
History
These two teams have faced each other in only 10 times where the Sky Blues have won in eight while there other two matches ended in a draw.
For the past few years, the Hornets have only scored three total goals compared to City’s 19 in all of their matchups. The most notable ones for City was when they annihilated Watford twice on their home pitch with 5-0 and 6-0 victories back in the 2017 season.
Betting Tip
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Manchester City vs Watford | Manchester City Asian Handicap -2.25 @ 1.82 |
| September 21, 22:00 (GMT+8) |
Per Premier League 2019 odds, Manchester City are the favourites at 1.12 while Watford are at an underwhelming 19.50 odds to win. There are 7.80 odds for a draw in the 1×2 market on this one.
Even with their injuries, it’s expected that Pep Guardiola’s tactical brilliance will shine once again for the Sky Blues. More than anything, this will be the perfect chance to test out different combinations since Watford won’t be much of a threat.
Their offence will still be a handful, especially when at full strength. Attacking stalwarts like Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling, and Leroy Sane will provide the firepower that will overwhelm a club like Watford.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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